Sara joined #TeamHVAF earlier this year, and we are so glad she did! She serves as a case manager at HVAF’s Permanent Supportive Housing unit – Veterans Villa.

Q: What do you do at HVAF?
A: I am a permanent supportive housing case manager at Veterans Villa. Working with veterans who are housed in our program, I help them maintain and sustain housing while also supporting them with their goals and growth.

Q: Why did you decide to work for HVAF?
A: I was working at another agency and had a client who returned to homelessness. He was hesitant to work with veteran services because he had a less than honorable discharge. HVAF and I collaborated and came together to work with him, wrap around him, and make him feel comfortable. He was able to stay in a GPD bed for free while HVAF staff went above and beyond to help him change his status to honorable, because we all knew he deserved it. This cooperation and support, for not only the staff but the client along the way, is why I chose to come to HVAF.

Q: Why do you like serving our veterans?
A: There’s something about veterans that’s just different. I’ve done this for eight years now but have worked solely with veterans since January of this year. The thing about veterans is that even though they may be going through the hardest time of their life, battling mental illness, addiction, homelessness, you name it… they are always thinking about other people. They may curse you one day but they always come back, apologize, and that doesn’t happen often in the social work field. I think a veteran never stops serving.

Q: What has your experience at Veterans Villa been like so far?
A: Veterans Villa is never the same and you never really know what you’re going to walk into. There are days where I feel like I’ve been there for fifteen hours doing one hard thing after the other, then there are other days that go by so quickly because one of the veterans calls us to the community room to play guitar for us. We’ve built a garden, held community days, painted together, but we’ve also grieved together. I have the honor of watching veterans take care of and support each other every day, through the good and the bad.

Q: When you are not working, where can we find you?
A: At home spending time with my spouse and our two fur babies. Playing on my Nintendo Switch, hanging out with my nieces and nephews, or enjoying live music.