The Trellis Outreach Team has been nurturing its relationship with African Community Services for some time. Shortly after a recent presentation about the Senior LinkAge Line, Abdullahi Sheikh, program manager at African Community Services, faced a crisis.
A 67-year-old gentleman with a rare medical condition was “dumped” at the ACS’s door. He had been living unhoused for about six months and didn’t have access to needed medications. Abdullahi’s staff was stressed over the situation and didn’t know where to start. “Trellis was just here,” said Abdullahi. “I knew exactly who to call.” He spend over an hour on the phone with a Senior LinkAge Line specialist.
The specialist found a 30-day shelter stay for the man, got a referral to a medical clininc and connected him to health coverage and prescription drugs. At the same time, Abdullahi’s staff reached out to their network of providers. Several members of this man’s clan came to the office, and they stepped up to help him. Today, the man has a place to live, care for his medical conditions and is embedded in his culture with members of his extended family.
Abdullahi said this was “incredibly frustrating (and difficult) for my entire team. But Trellis and the Senior LinkAge Line helped solve the problems for this man. I cannot express how grateful we are to the whole team.”
