The Importance of Case Management at TCCC

Carrie Grover |
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At Tracy Community Connections Center (TCCC), we focus on long-term solutions, and one of the most effective tools we have is case management.

Case management is at the heart of how people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity get from surviving to rebuilding. Without it, even the best intentions fall flat. You can hand someone a meal or a blanket, but if they don’t know where they’re sleeping tomorrow, or how to get ID, or access medical care, they’re stuck in survival mode. Our case managers help people move forward.

More Than a Referral

A case manager isn’t just someone who gives out a list of phone numbers. At TCCC, our case managers get to know each client, including what they’ve been through, what they need, and what obstacles are in the way. Then we create a real plan with goals, support, and follow-through.

We don’t expect someone in crisis to navigate ten agencies, five forms of ID, and hours of red tape. That’s how we help. We help clients make it to appointments, fill out applications, advocate for them when systems are hard to navigate, and check in regularly. Progress is tracked. Barriers are addressed. No one has to do it alone.

Stability Beyond Handouts

Giving someone a tent or a hygiene kit feels good and helps in the short-term, but if you want to see lasting change, we need to address the root causes of housing insecurity: trauma, unemployment, eviction, illness, addiction. These don’t get solved with quick fixes. Case management provides someone in your corner that you can trust, with the time and experience to help.

Our case managers connect people to housing programs, job resources, health services, legal aid, or whatever it takes. And because TCCC has long-standing relationships with our clients, we can spot changes early and pivot when needed.

We sit down with every client and hear their story. Our case managers work with them to identify their barriers to housing – whether that be employment, mental health, or addiction. Then, the case managers will work side by side with the client to create a housing plan by addressing these barriers. They meet with the client regularly and identify what programs or funding we have that could address the barriers, and refer out to other agencies for needs we cannot meet. Our case managers work with our street outreach team to coordinate services in real time like transportation, getting prescriptions, or getting into the city shelter. TCCC also offers bilingual Spanish-speaking case management for those who need it.

Funding Case Management

We have seen the positive impact of case management for unhoused individuals and we know that it works. The way to make it even more effective is with funding, staff, and more community awareness. Case management is slow, gritty, behind-the-scenes work but it’s what moves people from the streets to stability.

If you want to make a real difference in Tracy, support organizations like ours offering long-term case management by donating or volunteering. And if you or someone you know is stuck, please reach out.

 

 

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