Michael had been living at a halfway house for over a month when he came to Goodwill’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) in July 2024. Before this he had been incarcerated and did not know where to look for help at first, because he had very limited resources. But he knew that he needed a home of his own. When he found SSVF, they began working to find him a place to live.
His case manager and housing specialist made the process very quick easy. Michael said, “They never made me feel like I was a bother to them and were very willing to help me in any way they could. I had nothing, and they gave me everything.” In less than one month, SSVF was able to help Michael find a home.
“They provided me with assistance with my rent, filled my house with furniture and all the houseware, even a nice new TV. And took me in and paid for my state ID card,” Michael said.
His case manager said that Michael was able to overcome many obstacles, even though he had many health problems and legal problems. SSVF worked with him to get Social Security assistance and income from the VA to help him pay for his new housing.
As part of the SSVF Program, Michael must stay in contact with his case manager at least once a month. But Michael’s case manager says he has done that and more, “Michael has and continues to participate in his own success.” Michael even said he looks forward to every appointment with SSVF staff.
“They are still helping me by setting me up with assistance from other companies. SSVF has a program that my case manager will be putting me in consideration for, which could possibly help me with two more years of rental support,” Michael said.
That program is the Shallow Subsidy program through SSVF, which could help Michael with more rent and financial support for up to two years. This will allow Michael to continue to work on other goals that are important for him, like paying off debt or increasing his VA disability rating to gain more income.
Michael said that it’s been like Christmas since he came to SSVF for help. “I recommend them [SSVF] to anyone that qualifies,” he said, “I would still be a mess and would not have a place to live” if he had not come to SSVF for help.