CASE PRESENTATION

Katie
Olavarria

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
African American
Female
Domestic
Violence Victim
Legally Blind
Homeless
No Transportation

PROBLEM STATEMENT

After being attacked by her significant other, my client is

now legally blind and left homeless. She has family in
the area but they are not willing to offer assistance. My
client needs help finding housing with the only income
she has being $733 for disability.

SERVICES

Housing Assistance
Find the house
Pay deposit & first months rent
Pay PWC deposit and anything in arrears.
Provide information on other potential useful
.
services and organizations in the community.

STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS

Strengths

Resilient
Supportive Friends

Limitations

Legally Blind
No Family
Assistance
Only Income Is
Disability

ASSESSMENT GOALS & SPECIFIC

INTERVENTIONS
GOALS

Get the client

housed in a property
that she will be able
to aff ord.
Establish selfsuffi ciency.

INTERVENTIONS
Get the client to
qualify for services.
Find suitable
housing for the
client.
Pay for clients fi rst
months rent and
utility deposit so
that she can get
back on her feet.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK USED:

Person centered approach

Focused on what my client could do and the potential she
possessed.
Helped client recognize potential and strive for better
opportunities.

WHAT ARE SOME BIASES I HAD?

The client didnt need services as badly as she

stated.
She wasnt that blind.
That she was working the system?

WHAT ARE SOME VALUE

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOU AND
THE CLIENT?
Family Values

WHAT EVENTS OR LIFE

EXPERIENCES HAVE SHAPED THEM
INTO THE PERSON THAT THEY ARE?
Domestic Violence = Legally Blind
Legally Blind = No Employment, income based strictly
on disability
No Employment & No Family Assistance = Homeless

WHAT IS THE STAFF

RECOMMENDATION?
Diagnosis: She needs housing right away.
Intervention: Have her stay at a hotel one night that
is paid for by a church to make her qualify for our
program.
Treatment: Find a house for her and help connect
her to DSS or other organizations that can provide
more specifi c services for her.

WHAT DOES RESEARCH SAY ON

THEIR
DIAGNOSIS/PROBLEM/TREATMENT?
Diagnosis: She needs to fi nd housing ASAP.
Intervention: That she needs to stay in a hotel or in
a shelter to qualify for assistance. Hotel is preferred
because its safer especially under her circumstances.
Treatment: She defi nitely needs further assistance
other than what we can provide for her. A referral to
another program is necessary.

WHAT CHANGES ARE RECOMMEND

FOR THE AGENCY OR SERVICE?
Better follow up services, especially for those with
disability.
We currently check in on our clients after we house
them after 3 months. I think we should check in on
them after the fi rst month to make sure they are
reaching self-suffi ciency. Then from there move to
every three months for the duration of a year.

COMPETENCIES USED:
Competency one: Identify as a professional social worker
and conduct oneself accordingly.
Competency two: Apply social work ethical principles to
guide professional practice.
Competency three: Apply critical thinking to inform and
communicate professional judgments.
Competency four: Engage diversity and diff erence in
practice.
.
Competency fi ve: Advance human rights and social and
economic justice.

COMPETENCIES USED (CONT.):

Competen cy six: Engage in research-informed p ractice an d
practice-informed research.
Competen cy seven: Apply knowledge of human behavior an d
the social environment.
Competen cy eigh t: En gage in policy practice to advance
social and economic well-being and to deliver eff ective social
w ork services.
Competen cy Nine: Respond to con texts th at s hape practice.
Competen cy Ten : En gage, assess, interven e, and evaluate
w ith individuals, families, groups, organization s, an d
commun ities .