From Lakewood, Wash. to Lakewood, Colo., the PATH Program partners to help couple out of houselessness

“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” — Helen Keller

At Greater Lakes Mental Healthcare, part of the MultiCare Behavioral Health Network, the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) Program takes this quote to heart. Through partnerships with organizations like the Lakewood Police Department (PD) and Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, along with a network of compassionate donors, the program is transforming the lives of people like Jim and Sue.*

Jim, 68, suffers from several health conditions, including dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression. His significant other of 37 years, Sue, is 87 and battles severe depression, cognitive decline and dementia. Since 2013, they’ve been living in an SUV near the Lakewood Towne Center.

Sue’s daughter Carolynn resides in Lakewood, Colo. and typically connected with the couple once every two weeks to once a month. But in summer 2021, she lost touch.

“They just continued to live in a car, and I tried to encourage them to find something else,” Carolynn explains. “I lost touch with them, as their phone wasn’t paid; it was showing as disconnected. There was a couple hundred-dollar balance. I thought if I pay it, the phone will start to ring, and they’ll answer it. That didn’t happen, so I called the hospitals, and I called the police.”

Despite these efforts, she couldn’t reach Jim and Sue who had declined to the point of not being able to use a phone.

Enter Lakewood PD and PATH

Fortunately, during the hottest June on record, Jim and Sue met Sgt. John Fraser who took them to a cooling center when he discovered that Jim could no longer safely operate a vehicle. From there, Sgt. Fraser and Lakewood PD’s in-house mental health professional, Carolyn Cyr, called Trisha Munson, PATH Program case manager, to see what could be done for the pair.

“We went up to the cooling center and made contact with Jim and Sue. They had bags of medications with no rhyme or reason to what they were taking,” Trisha remembers. “Their vehicle was full top to bottom with soiled clothes. Lakewood PD put them in a motel for a couple of nights, and we worked on contacting family.”

At long last, Carolynn’s contact information was obtained, and Trisha and Carolynn were soon communicating and advocating together.

“Trisha came to save the day,” Carolynn says. “She was just beyond incredible. Basically, you had two homeless people with no identification, and she went in, got in touch with health and human services and was on a mission to find them permanent housing or permanent care. She did everything she could to make sure they were safe and then guided me on how to get power of attorney.”

Utilizing donor dollars for a better life

Since Jim and Sue had both lost their IDs, Trisha drew on PATH’s partnership with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department to coordinate with the Port of Seattle, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Air Marshal Service on an alternative identification process.

“Our partnerships with law enforcement were essential to making this happen,” Trisha says. “We would have never been able to get them on a plane to Colorado with Carolynn otherwise.”

And thanks to donor funding, Trisha was able to find unconventional solutions to provide wraparound support from the start of Jim and Sue’s journey to its finish.

“Both Jim and Sue were hospitalized before Carolynn came to pick them up, and this is where donor funds become very important for us — providing things like a coloring book, crayons and some foods that were culturally specific helped bring comfort to Sue,” Trisha shares. “I remember one time we had to get some papers notarized. One of Sue’s favorite things is these chewy ginger candies you can get from the Asian market. We brought them to her, and it was just amazing to see her light up.”

Community funds also helped purchase shoes and clothes for the couple.

Today, Jim and Sue are out of houselessness and are having their medical and mental health needs addressed.

Fast-forward to August 31, 2021, and Carolynn writes, “Both are safe in a Colorado memory care facility — no longer homeless or malnourished, and they are receiving much-needed health care. They both refused help for many years, but this team/community didn’t stop trying to help. It’s so wonderful to see the love and caring humanity from the Lakewood PD and Greater Lakes. Put me on the donor list as well because Greater Lakes saved their lives.”

You can support individuals experiencing houselessness, like Jim and Sue, by donating to the MultiCare Behavioral Health Foundation.

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.