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In 2008 Candace was living on the streets; she suffers from bipolar disorder and, at the time, was not taking her medication. She had lost several family members, including her mother and brother, and felt she was alone in the world.
Then, a friend told her about Heartland Alliance Health, the health care partner of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights. HAH provides a broad range of mental health and addiction services, including outreach and case management for homeless adults who are mentally ill or struggling with addiction. At first, Candace wasn’t overly excited about the program; being in unfamiliar surroundings took some time to get used to.
“It felt kind of strange,” she says. “It was so new to me. But it didn’t take long to get used to; everyone was just great.” The “everyone” Candace refers to are her HAH caseworkers; she credits them with helping her get back on her feet.
“I’ve being doing pretty good since I’ve been in the program,” she says. “I started going to my psychiatrist every other month and am back on my medication. This has helped me to start thinking of myself more than I had been.”
Candace says the program provided her with much needed emotional support and helped her start thinking about her life in a new way. “With the program, I didn’t feel alone because I had people to talk to and who would listen to me,” she says. “I didn’t have that before.“
Candace, who recently turned 52, now has a positive outlook on life and is looking forward to the future for the first time in years.
“My caseworker told me about a program that would help me find a one bedroom apartment,” she says. “I’m excited about that and looking forward to moving and decorating. I’m strong enough now to move on. Two years ago I wouldn’t have been able to say that.” Her goals for the future don’t stop there: Candace looks forward to going back to school to earn her GED and wants to take a few basic courses. She says Heartland Alliance Health helped her find her way again and, for that, she’s extremely grateful.
“If it wasn’t for the program, I wouldn’t have made it this far,” Candace says. “It helped give me my confidence back. Now, I’m happy and excited about what is to come.”