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What Should I
Do If I Need the Type of Services Belle Reve Offers for Myself or for a
Loved One?
If you find yourself or
a loved one in need of services due to HIV/AIDS infection and lack of
sufficient income or housing, the following are the suggested steps to
obtain necessary help, recommended by Program Director, Pam Smith, L.C.S.W.
The first question that
must be asked is do you or does your loved one have a Case
Manager? The Case Manager is the link to all
offered services and must be obtained prior to receiving help of any kind.
You may find your Case Manager from NO/AIDS Task Force if
you are male, and from FACES or NO/AIDS if you
are female. Other case managers can be found at hospitals, institutions,
and other referring agencies.
If You Have a
Case Manager
You may report to your Case Manager and request to be placed at Belle Reve.
Your Case Manager will obtain Belle Reve’s mandatory two-part application,
one part to be filled out by the Case Manager and the other part to be
filled out by your physician. If your Case Manager does not have Belle
Reve’s application available, he/she may contact Program Director, Pam
Smith, at (504) 945-9455, and she will fax the application to your Case
Manager.
If You Do Not
Have a Case Manager Yet
If you do not have a Case Manager, you live in the Greater New Orleans
area, and you are male, you will need to go to NO/AIDS Task Force at 2601
Tulane Avenue, Suite 500, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119, (504) 821-2601 or
toll-free 1 (800) 99-AIDS9 to obtain a Case Manager. Walk in to the
facility and ask to speak to the “intake person,” to whom you can explain
your needs. If you do not have a Case Manager, you live in the Greater New
Orleans area, and you are female, you may go to NO/AIDS Task Force or to
Faces at 3308 Tulane Avenue, 6th Floor, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119, (504)
821-4611. Faces provides Case Management to women and women with children.
With both organizations, you may walk in to the facility and ask to speak
to the “intake person,” to whom you can explain your needs.
After Your Case
Manager Has Completed a Referral
Once your application and referral are completed, your Case Manager will
fax your referral to Pam at Belle Reve. After receiving your referral, Pam
will contact you by phone, if you have provided a phone number. If you
either do not have a phone at this time or prefer not to be contacted
directly, Pam can contact you through your Case Manager, who will set up an
appointment for you to come in to Belle Reve. At Belle Reve, you will be
given a tour, during which you will meet the residents and staff, followed
by an interview with Pam and possibly another Social Worker. If you are
physically incapable of coming to Belle Reve, Pam and possibly another
Social Worker can come to you to do an interview, provided that you are in
the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan area.
Once Belle Reve Social
Work Staff has completed your interviewing process, if a room is available,
the Social Work Staff will meet to determine who will fill the vacancy. The
Social Work Staff will review all applications, including yours and those
of other individuals who have been on the waiting list. The Belle Reve
admissions process is not based on “first-come-first-serve;” but rather,
the Social Workers will review all applications to determine who has the
highest need. In determining need, the Social Workers will rate each
application on level of health deterioration, homelessness or strong risk
of homelessness, condition of current living situation, and other
extenuating factors such as mental health issues and substance addiction.
If you are not chosen as the applicant with the highest need, you will be
placed on Belle Reve’s waiting list as an Outreach Client. You will receive
monthly or more frequent phone calls from a Belle Reve Social Worker, who
will be monitoring any changes in your situation, such as high risk for
homelessness or deteriorating conditions. As an Outreach Client, you will
be invited to attend Outreach Luncheons, held every Wednesdays and preceded
by a Recovery Readiness
support group for Outreach Clients and residents. You will be encouraged to
attend Coffee Talk for additional support, and you will get to know Belle
Reve’s staff and residents while monitoring your housing situation and your
options.
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