Share Honors CDM Caregiving Services with Community Partner Award
Annually, Share recognizes an organization or business for their partnership in fulfilling Share’s mission. This year’s award was presented to CDM Caregiving Services during our virtual ‘Spill the Soup’ event.
In August 2019, Share and CDM launched a pilot program at Lincoln Place to help the residents learn daily living and independence skills. The program has since been extended to Share’s scattered sites (part of our supportive housing program) and the Women’s Housing and Transition (WHAT) program, serving more than 100 people. From laundry tips and cooking techniques, to cleaning and organizing, to advocating for
medical and health care—the assistance from the care givers is vast and the results for our clients are empowering.
Michelle Bittinat, Share’s housing & achievement enrichment program director, who oversees Lincoln Place, talked about the vital importance of this program for our clients.
“Since CDM joined our team, it has been an absolute game changer for clients accessing services as well as gaining independent living skills. Care givers assist clients daily, helping them to access food boxes and prepare healthy meals, access medical care and prescriptions, as well as maintain their units to be safe and habitable.
“One such person is Monica* who had experienced homelessness for more than 30 years. When she moved into permanent supportive housing, she struggled with maintaining her finances due to mental health symptoms. But, she was interested in assistance from a care giver for grocery shopping. With support from both Share and CDM staff, Monica has been able to create shopping lists and accept reminders that help her stay on task. Her trips to the grocery store went from taking multiple hours and leaving in frustration to successfully managing her budget and staying on task, which has helped her self-esteem and to maintain her housing.”
Three representatives from CDM accepted the award: Vanessa Duplessie, CDM board president, Chelsea Stearns, former care manager, and Ginger Barnwell, CDM home care manager.
A portion of their acceptance speech is shared here:
“The chance to work together to get people needed care giving services in Share locations has been instrumental in helping so many. It was a match made perfect for both organizations,” said Duplessie.
“This partnership allowed us to successfully bridge the gap to allow access to services to those that really need them. We are truly seeing the positive effects of this program. We see a group who previously had challenges finding access to care services due to hurdles that other populations don’t necessarily face. Clients at Lincoln Place are willing and wanting services and they are benefiting in a life-changing way,” shared Stearns.
“We look forward to this continued partnership and our shared vision to service residents of Clark County,” added Barnwell.
Additional articles in the 2020 Holiday edition include: Emergency Rent Assistance Program Helps Local Households, There are Many Ways to Help this Holiday Season, Success of Share Soup Week, Emily Marshall Volunteer of the Year: Duane Royer, Winter Hospitality Overflow Program Opens
with Increased Health & Safety Protocols and 2019 Annual Report.
Download a PDF version of the 2020 Holiday Edition of Sharing Lives to read all the stories from this quarter.
