Joe has been an APSI client since 2007 and much has changed since then. When Joe’s Protective Services Representative (PSR) Dean met him, Joe was struggling.
He was living in his own apartment but had friends who would take advantage of him, squatting in his home and destroying his property. When Dean discovered this, he worked with Joe’s team and helped him move to a new home in a different town, this time with roommates.
Joe can get overwhelmed if there are too many people around and sometimes found his roommates to be too much for him. So he eventually went back to living on his own and lives independently in an apartment to this day.
“Joe knows what he wants, and he will work towards getting what he wants. Yeah, he has no problem standing up for himself and self-advocating,” Dean says.
Over the years, Joe has grown to be extremely independent. When Dean met Joe, he had 24/7 staff, but over the years, that has decreased to just four hours of staff time on weekdays.
“When I first started with him, man, he's come a long way with having less staffing hours and being more independent and I think that's fantastic,” Dean says.
The path wasn’t easy; Joe can get frustrated when things don’t go his way, but he has learned to manage his emotions better.
“He's got a great sense of humor. He's very personable. He can be very caring, very compassionate,” Dean says.
Joe’s compassion extends to animals; when he’s home, he loves to spend time with his cat Bootsy. But Joe’s usually out in the community; he uses Uber to independently travel to gay bars in Columbus where he enjoys and sometimes participates in drag shows under his moniker Jolene Justice.
“I've seen pictures of him when he gets all glammed up, and he looks good. His staff used to help him a lot back in the day to put his makeup on and the wigs and everything,” Dean says.
Joe feels like he found where he belongs in his community.
“He's more comfortable in that setting. It just seems like he doesn't seem to have the issue, the stress, that nervousness, you know, that's his thing,” Dean says.
Joe dreams of going on an LGBTQ cruise, so Dean found a similar experience on land through weekend camps for the LGBTQ community. Joe has gleefully attended several and plans to attend their Halloween bash in October.
“They have a swimming pool and jacuzzi, and they have a little pavilion where they have it like a nightclub, and they have dances in themes, and they have something going on all the time. So, I kind of like the fact that he has something like that to go to,” Dean says.
With APSI’s help, Joe has found his place in the world and built a full life. We can’t wait to see what he does next.
Comments