Community Spotlight: Jensy Rafael

Our spotlight this month swings to Jensy Rafael, a recent college graduate who began her professional helper’s journey with Volunteers Of America Los Angeles (VOALA) just six months ago. 

Growing up in Los Angeles, Jensy was always the type of person who liked to help people. But when it came to people experiencing homelessness, she didn’t know how. She noticed that most of the people around her didn’t know how to help these folks, either. 

Working a retail job in downtown LA while in college, Jensy saw desperate people come into the store shoplifting necessities. She knew she was supposed to be angry at them for stealing merchandise. But in the back of her mind, she found herself wondering “who in the world is gonna help these people?”

Turns out Jensy was. 

After graduating from college with a Sociology degree, she applied for jobs in the homeless sector. She was thrilled when she was hired by VOALA, an organization operating since the late 19th century, founded on a core belief “in the potential of every person no matter the circumstance.” 

Jensy spent her first months with VOALA receiving Case Manager training at one of the interim housing facilities VOALA manages in south LA. In July of this year, Jensy was transferred to the Jan Clayton Center, a new 52-bed interim housing facility VOALA manages in Hollywood, and which opened to the community in late July. 

A native of South Central LA, Jensy is new to the Hollywood area. She loves her new community, her new VOALA teammates at the JCC, and especially the opportunity to be of service to a population of clients who are among our community’s most vulnerable. 

The work as a Case Manager can be stressful. Jensy often sees clients who are facing severe challenges – experiencing homelessness, mental and/or physical health crises, struggling with addiction issues, getting out of abusive relationships, etc. She is heartened, however, when new clients begin to realize she is someone they can trust. One older client told her the other day, “You’re actually really nice!” Jensy noticed this reflection was followed by the gentleman agreeing to accept shower and clinical services later that day.

One of Jensy’s most important jobs is helping JCC clients prepare to re-enter the housing and job market.

By building trust and establishing relationships with JCC clients, Jensy has an easier time convincing them to accept the resources JCC has to offer. Jensy has helped clients get phones, new forms of ID, gain access to medical and mental health services, alcohol and addiction treatment, SSI, and other programs to help them rebuild their lives. These resources include:

• Applying for General Relief
• Applying for CalFresh
• Applying for SSI Payments (if they have a disability for over six months to be able to apply)
• Connecting with CBEST for additional supportsome text
  • CBEST is a comprehensive program that provides advocacy, case management services, and linkage to needed health, mental health and substance abuse services.

As clients progress at the JCC, Jensy hands them off to their Housing Navigators who then work more closely with those clients ready to be matched with more permanent housing. At the moment, all 52 beds at the JCC are filled; of their 52 current clients, 12 have been matched with Housing Navigators.

The biggest challenge or frustration Jensy faces in her job is how difficult it can be to get folks with substance abuse challenges into treatment programs because of the various barriers to entry: lack of insurance, and/or documentation, and/or inability to access services because of impaired, addiction-related behavior.

Jensy’s face lights up sharing her biggest success – an elderly JCC client with a disability who she’s seen go to extreme lengths to improve his life. Just recently, he reported with pride that he’d taken the bus over 2 hours to get his new Driver’s License. Jensy finds his determination inspiring, and an important reminder of why she pursued this work in the first place. 

She ends with a smile and a promise: “There will be lots more success stories to come, for sure!”