Program puts people back on their feet
In May 2017, Lisa Wilbert of Butler was on the verge of becoming another statistic in the court and prison system after bad decisions earned her an arrest and the prospect of facing five years in jail.
But due to a unique, life-changing program at the Middlesex Township-based Lighthouse Foundation, she is reunited with her two daughters, working at a job she loves and raising her family in her very own apartment.
“It's kind of cool that it turned out like this because I am an example that you can turn your life around,” Wilbert said.
She credits her metamorphosis to the transitional housing program at the Lighthouse Foundation, where those who need a hand up in life can spend 18 months living in one of 18 housing units as they work toward their goal of independence.
Mark Lane, director of transitional living at the Lighthouse, said the program started in 1994 with five young men who entered the program to set and reach goals to exit a life of poverty, homelessness and addiction.
Today, Lane said the Lighthouse has transitional housing for single men, single women, single mothers and one- or two-parent families.
He said Catholic Charities in Butler is the central input point for individuals who are homeless.
Given assessment
Those who approach Catholic Charities for housing are given an assessment, and caseworkers present the individual with options.
One of them is the Lighthouse's transitional living program.
“If our program looks like something that would benefit them, we get the referral and try to help them out,” Lane said.
But anyone who opts for the Lighthouse program immediately learns that they must put in the work required to turn their lives around.
Once a client enters the program, caseworkers help him or her set goals, identify the barriers that could prevent them from reaching those goals and create a workable plan to achieve them.
“We try to look at the reason why they became homeless and help them move past those obstacles,” Lane said.
Each client is required to get their GED if they haven't finished high school.Caseworkers then help them find a job and enroll them in financial literacy or parenting classes.In the past few years, clients have access to gardens where they can plant, tend to and harvest vegetables in an effort to improve their diet.Each client is drug tested upon entering the program, and anyone who has a history of drug abuse continues to be tested randomly after that.Lane said there are widely varying reasons for each client's homelessness, including substance abuse, growing up in poverty with no one to teach them important life skills, getting kicked out of their homes at age 18 and other issues.“We try to get them past that,” Lane said.He said 60 to 70 people go through the program each year.“It's really neat to work for this place, where we just show people some kindness and direction,” Lane said.'Become self-sufficient'Jeremiah Bellis, a case manager in the Lighthouse transitional housing program, said the most successful cases have one quality in common.“It's a willingness to work toward their goals and understand they are where they are for a reason,” Bellis said. “They understand their strengths and weaknesses, and they want to address those to become self-sufficient.”One of the most difficult facets of the program for some clients is adhering to the curfews of 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday.“It's to ensure they're not getting into trouble and that they're held accountable,” Bellis said.Another hurdle is realizing they are in for a long 18 months of working on themselves.Some leave the program because they are not in a place in their lives where they can adhere to the rules and improve themselves.“It is different when you go from one lifestyle to another,” Bellis said.He said that although Wilbert initially had the attitude that only negative things would happen to her, she persevered through the program with the support of Bellis and Lane.“Near the end of the program, everything worked out for her,” Bellis said. “When you see somebody come into the program who is essentially lost, and you see them achieve what they had in mind for themselves, it's an awesome feeling.”Wilbert, 35, entered the Lighthouse transitional living program two years ago and recently signed a lease for an apartment in Butler where she and her daughters, ages 12 and 13, can live.“I've been clean for three-and-a-half years,” she said proudly.Wilbert works at Silver Mist Recovery Inpatient Center in Forward Township as a behavioral health technician.Full custodyA court battle to get her daughters back recently ended with her being awarded full custody.Wilbert said Lane and Bellis helped her through that process by writing to the judge regarding her clean drug tests and the commitment she demonstrated to getting her life back on track.“They want to help you build your life back up,” Wilbert said. “They want you to save money and get back on your feet.”In addition to matching a certain amount of the funds clients are able to save while in the program, those who complete transitional living are reimbursed half the cost of the program.In Wilbert's case, that amounted to $1,500.“They also help with food, cleaning supplies and toiletries,” she said. “They are completely, 100% amazing.”Asked about her current goals, Wilbert said she shies away from looking too far into the future.“I want to stay humble and focused on today because I feel like people always are looking for something better, and today is your best life,” she said.Wilbert said she will never forget the kindness she was shown and the life lessons she learned while in the Lighthouse transitional living program.“I just really appreciate every single one of them, and I really couldn't be where I'm at today without them,” she said. “They're very kind and loving people.”
