Paul, a 54-year-old Veteran with two daughters, recently illustrated another success story showing how a relentless drive toward our mission fuels outstanding outcomes at MACV. This father and his 13 and 11-year-old children were couch-hopping, staying with whichever family and friends were willing to take them in. Kyle, one of our newer Housing Case Managers, started working with them during the COVID-19 pandemic. He quickly secured a hotel room for him and his daughters and then started exploring how to stabilize the family for the long-term.

Kyle recognized Paul’s situation as one of the more complex cases MACV encounters, and elected to heavily collaborate with his coworkers and in the broader community to address the family’s needs. He consulted a variety of staff in MACV’s housing program, legal services, and employment areas. This process led to Kyle and Paul’s decision to move the Veteran and his daughters into transitional housing. Accessing this resource allows our staff to continue case management and plan execution while keeping clients safe.

One of the challenges Paul experiences is difficulty self-censoring and reading social cues. He often uses colorful language and aggressive communication to engage with others, which adds additional barriers to his stabilization. Kyle built a strong relationship with Paul which allowed him to give the Veteran feedback about the importance of polite, well-mannered interactions with landlords and other service providers.

Paul impressed Kyle with his decision to take the advice to heart. “We came up with a plan to coach him in how to interact with people moving forward,” explains Kyle. “It was…cool to see Paul trying to protect my back because I have his back and working on the things I asked him to do.”

While perfect manners in every future interaction is unlikely, Paul’s story shows hope that with the right plan and support anything is possible. Even when it seems like there are no options left, MACV knows how to navigate these tough situations and find solutions for those who seem beyond help.

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