This week, Sami shares a look into her week as a Housing Services Coordinator and even shares some self care tips. Housing for Health OC is proud to celebrate Sami and the incredible work she does for HHOC, Jamboree and Be Well OC.
Monday
Before work - Wake up around 6:45
Eat breakfast – my husband made scones, so breakfast all week will be fruit and a scone
Listen to my morning news podcast (First Thing with Kevin Manno) on my commute. It’s a good, unbiased way to stay caught up without being too overwhelmed early in the morning.
Morning at work - Arrive 8:00
Get organized for the day and check emails. I unintentionally leave my desk messy by the end of the day, so I try to spend a few minutes in the morning putting paperwork away and getting ready for today.
Met with the ECM Lead Care Manager reviewing client cases and files
Made client calls to schedule meetings this week
Did some research for clients on housing opportunities and other resources my
Had lunch with the ECM LCM, a great perk of being friends with your coworkers
Afternoon at work
Called a client’s landlord to confirm move-in costs and coordinate drop-off of the payment
Self-care tip – Take a walk! It sounds so simple, but getting away from your computer for a few minutes is a good reset. At Be Well, we often take walks down the block to 7/11 for caffeine breaks
Met with the Exodus Recovery Substance Use Specialist onsite at Be Well (the substance use/mental health campus where my office is) to case conference about clients who may be in need of housing services
There was an individual who walked into Be Well and they had housing questions, so I met with them in the lobby to explain potential housing options in Orange County.
After work – left work at 5:30
I did a quick Target run and was home by 6:30
I walked my dog while my husband made dinner
He does all of the cooking in our home. We play to our strengths to split household chores and my strengths are not in cooking
My husband and I are currently watching an old season of The Great British Baking Show on Netflix, so we watched a few episodes before bed
The Be Well OC campus in Orange where Sami's office is. HHOC & Jamboree work to provide Housing Services to the clients onsite.
Tuesday
Before work – Wake up at 7
Breakfast and listened to my morning news podcast while getting ready, so I listened to some fun music on my commute (I just saw AJR in concert a few weeks ago with a friend so they’ve been on repeat since then)
Morning at work – Arrive 8:30
Get organized for the day and check emails
Attended the Coordinated Entry Match meetings. Orange County homeless service providers meet weekly/biweekly to match their clients with housing opportunities provided by the county
TAY – to match any transitional-aged youth clients to housing opportunities that are a good fit for their age
Veteran – to match veterans with housing opportunities through the county/VA
Central SPA – to match homeless folks living in the Central Service Provider Area of OC
Clinical support meeting
Case conferencing support and check-ins with staff from multiple Permanent Supportive Housing sites
They also fed us lunch! It’s always a better meeting if there’s food
Afternoon at work
Our CalAIM team met to review updates and check in about our company progress
I also called a client to schedule a meeting for next week and updated some forms
After work – left work at 6
Self-care tip – Spend time with friends not talking about work!
My husband and I had some friends over for pizza and game night
Sami's dog Apollo, a deaf Catahoula
Wednesday
Before work – wake up at 7
Ate breakfast and listened to my morning news podcast on my commute
Morning at work – arrive 8:30 am
Get organized for the day and check emails
Gathered some employment assistance resources for a client who I’m meeting with today
Met with the Exodus Recovery therapist at Be Well about our weekly Housing Group. I run a DayHab Housing Education group for the clients at Be Well who are completing the inpatient rehab program. The therapist and I reviewed the curriculum to confirm it fits the clients’ needs.
Afternoon at work
North SPA CES match meeting – To match housing opportunities for clients living in the North Service Provider area of Orange County
Housing Group – Group this week was on Housing Navigation and how to fill out an apartment application. Clients were provided with a blank apartment application to fill out for practice and we discussed different questions to ask landlords as you search for housing.
Picked up a housing deposit check from Jamboree’s corporate office
Success of the week! - Dropped off said check with the landlord for a client who just moved into housing! I also met with the client to transition the client to Housing Sustainability services. This client is recovering from drug use and is now in safe, sober housing near their job in Orange County. They’re interested in starting a career and changing jobs, so I provided some referrals on agencies to go to for resume help or job opportunities.
Self-care tip - Have a supportive team at work. Working in social services is hard, there’s no way around that. We work with individuals who are likely having the worst season of their lives. Having friends at work and a supervisor who will back you up is so important. A company that supports their staff’s hard work in tangible ways is invaluable.
After work
I met up with a friend for dinner in downtown Santa Ana. She’s an old coworker from a previous social service agency, and our new jobs work together too. The homeless field in OC is a small world!
Thursday
Before work – Wake up at 7
Ate breakfast and listened to my morning news podcast on my commute
Morning at work – arrive at 8:30
Called some clients to check in on their housing searches
Met with the permanent supportive housing team. Jamboree is really great at making sure that all of their staff who work with the mentally ill/chronically homeless population lean on each other for support. We meet virtually on a regular basis to check in with team members all across the state to learn what activities they’re doing at their locations to support residents.
Attended a training on affirming LGBTQ+ residents
Afternoon at work
Attended our weekly HHOC Operations meeting
Met with a client for a Housing Navigation intake at a local coffee shop
Challenge of the week - This client has been difficult to schedule a meeting with. This intake meeting was a collaboration between the client’s therapist at Optum and myself to continually re-explain the CalAIM Housing Services program and what assistance can be provided. The client was presenting symptoms of paranoia and dysregulation during our meeting. Since I’m not a clinician, I cannot help with symptoms directly. Instead I made sure to patiently explain everything a few times in different ways during our intake and provide copies of forms for the client to keep. I will also be following up with the therapist to summarize our meeting, so she can check in with the client during their therapy sessions.
After work – got home by 6:30
Walked my dog while my husband made dinner
Self-care tip – Have hobbies that use a different part of your brain like cooking, reading, or exercise. My husband and I watched an episode of The Great British Baking Show, and I read my book of the week We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal. I will always recommend lighthearted, low-stakes TV or escapism reading.
Friday
Jamboree offers a 9/80 schedule, so I work 9 days during a 2-week pay period instead of 10. During those 9 days, I work eight 9-hour days and one 8-hour day, so I still work 80 hours in a 2-week period, but it is not ten traditional 8-hour days. This gives staff every other Friday off work!
This Friday off, my husband also took the day off his work. He and I went to the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach. I love seeing the local artists and especially the glass art.
Glass art of the ocean purchased at the Sawdust Festival
Self-care tip – Home should be a safe place filled with people who support you unconditionally. My husband does 100% of the cooking in our home so I never have to worry about my terrible cooking skills after work. He lets me vent about work when I have a tough day, and he’s so supportive of the passion I feel working in the social services world.
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