Last week at the Dignity Center we had to make the unfortunate decision to refuse further service to a client. This person had been coming to the Dignity Center for a several months, but his attendance had been sporadic at best. He had been given a monthly bus card six weeks ago to help him attend school, but there was no evidence in his file that he had enrolled in any classes. He had been unable to keep regular appointments and had been intentionally speaking with different advocates each visit. He had stated bluntly that he was not interested in stating clear goals or in being in a relationship with an advocate.
When he came in last Friday, he was told in no uncertain terms how the Dignity Center operates. The advocate who spoke with him informed him that he could not be given another monthly bus card without proof that he was attending school, and that he needed to maintain a steady relationship with one advocate. The client became extremely irate. He was under the impression that the Dignity Center receives “millions” from the government and that we were intentionally withholding funds from clients. When the advocate told him she could refer him to another organization for help with bus cards and his tuition, he became even angrier and left in a huff.
While this incident was unfortunate and frustrating, it was also atypical. Aside from this situation, Friday was full of good news and success stories from other clients. Uchenna, a young man who has been a client for three months, came in to tell his advocate that he has been given a full scholarship to study engineering in Flint, Michigan through Job Corps. Another client is reconnecting with his estranged sister. He spent 20 years in prison and had not spoken to his family in years, but he has admitted his past problems and wrongs and made amends. His sister lives out of state, but she and her family are planning a visit with him soon. Another advocate reported that a usually dour client was in exceptionally good spirits on Friday and was looking forward to making dinners with his family. He called the time spent cooking and talking with his children his “happy times.”
There are successes and frustrations on any given day at the Dignity Center, but we are happy to say that the good times tend to outweigh the bad.
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