Success Stories

Jacqueline Lee (Jackie Lee) had diabetes for about 15 years, but at age 57 her life was going well. She was living in beautiful rural Franklin, NC, working in a job she loved. But then she lost her job, health insurance, and soon became unable to afford her essential medications. As a result Jackie Lee became very sick. She was falling often and had peripheral neuropathy (pain and numbness in her feet). Eventually it became difficult for her to even stand up.

Despite the support of her sisters, Jackie Lee could no longer live in her non-wheelchair accessible house. Jackie Lee moved into a nursing home for a month of post-acute rehab, but she had no safe place to return home. She applied for subsidized housing vouchers, but the waiting list was between two and three years long. Other potential housing options also fell through. A year later, Jackie Lee was still living in the nursing home.

Jackie Lee described her experience in the nursing home as akin to homelessness. “I had nowhere to go and no hope of having anyplace to go home to,” she said. “I felt forsaken and didn’t see anyway out. I was in tears 100 percent of the time, always waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Then she found out about the CAP/DA and Money Follows the Person programs through the Local Contact Agency Options Counselor, Donna Case, and Independent Living Transitions Coordinator, Lori Massey. Through their help, she was able to obtain affordable housing at Life House, a 20-unit transitional housing complex for people living with disabilities.

“Life is fabulous here,” Jackie Lee said. “It is safe, quiet and very secure. The people who live here – it’s a community. We watch out for each other.”

The MFP program also helped her find home furnishings and affordable primary medical care. Her new primary care doctor “prescribed” a cat to help with anxiety and depression. That is how she got Tony, a gray-and-white tabby who – after living in a shelter for a year – was also seeking a “forever home.”

Looking ahead, Jackie Lee wants to volunteer at the nursing home where she once lived, and assist at the local Meals on Wheels program. She hopes one day to drive again and actually deliver meals to homebound residents.

“None of this could have been possible without the support system I have – case workers, nursing,” she said. “I’m totally in awe of the ongoing support system.”