stuff I need

Toilet seat

Magic erasers

Shower rod and curtain

More foamy stuff

Tin foil

Seran wrap

WD-40

May baskets

Little cards

CMC

     The CMC has been a fantastic place for me to grow. It has been a safe place where I could learn to open up and let out some of the pain that's been inside me. It's been a place of learning while I went through therapy and worked with staff here to build my self-esteem. And you gave me a home when I couldn't find one anywhere else.

     I appreciate the kindness and understanding of the staff as Ive gone  through therapy. My behaviors didn't always reflect my true feelings toward the cmc. The understanding and concern of the staff supported me through my changes. That is something I haven't found anywhere else in my whole life.

     Leaving the CMC is extremely bittersweet. As much as I am looking forward to having my own place leaving the staff and the other residents behind is very difficult for me. I know that I can come back here and get support whenever I need it which I appreciate but on a deeper level of understanding I know that in my life I will never feel this type of support again.

     As I leave here I have only one real piece of advice for the staff and that would be to put resources first. I was here for over a year before I got started finding services that I desperately needed. Working with ihh, finding food stamps and the free phone that goes with food stamps, finding adequate therapists, and being informed about other options with housing. I feel that if I had started with these things from the beginning My success would have come much quicker and I would be more advanced in my program. I found that the staff was not terribly knowledgeable when it came to me applying for social security or other resources that I truly needed.

I see other residents right now that don't have IDs, don't have social security cards, don't have their birth certificates, have not applied for food stamps yet, don't know about the free phone, have not been provided a direct line to therapists that could actually help them, and hope of finding housing after leaving other than moving across the street.

     I don't mean to criticize the staff because I think they do the best they can but they don't have proper training on helping people with these particular types of issues. As I have said before I am so appreciative of my time here and I don't want to take away from that however that being said there is still a great need on our floor for resources that the staff either doesn't have the knowledge or the time to address.