Sink or Swim, I'm Diving In

Sunset before Community Prayer

The first week at the CAP (Community Assistance Program) Office at Help of Ojai is over and I have already learned a lot about the organization, the clients and Ojai.  When they said they would throw me in, they were not lying.  On my third day I did my first intake of a new client "on my own" and have been sifting through clients files to piece together information for the people I will be helping in the future.  It has been eyeopening to see the difference in what people need.

Help of Ojai works off of case managing.  This means if you would like help from the CAP office, you have to be willing to come in and work with a case manager.  No matter how often you come in, you only get one food box per a month.  Some people come in once a month for food support and to check in with their case manager.  Others come in weekly to sort through bills, talk through any concerns and problem solve for what lies ahead. Still others come in multiple times a week for help contacting doctors, filling out paperwork, sorting through bills and having the case manager advocate for them. Although each case is very different, the basic goal is to work with a client and have them be able to come more independent as time goes on.

The view of Ventura from our hike

I can see why case workers get burnt out quickly.  I'm already learning to make a line on what I can and can't do. I'm thankful for my coworkers and being able to ask them a million questions about why we do or why we don't do certain things.  They have been patient in showing me their job.  I also appreciate being able to count on them when I don't know what the next step is or how to refer the client.

Our first In-N-Out trip

As a community we enjoyed In-N-Out Burger and went on our first full community hike.  It has been an experience in cooking and we can all be grateful nobody has starved yet.  I'm also incredibly excited to be able to watch part of the East Carolina game today!  Even though I'm on the west coast, I still bleed purple and gold!  Go Pirates!