“Anything that I needed, I could call, and she was there for me.”
Kimberly was recovering from spinal surgery when she met Lydia, a case manager with Community Human Services (CHS). At the time, she also was living in a dangerous neighborhood, which had frequent shootings.
That first meeting helped begin the process of Kimberly attaining a better living situation. But it also started a bond between Kimberly and Lydia that became family-like.
“It just started going from friend to family,” Kimberly says. “Because she was just there.”
Community Human Services (CHS) helps people in western Pennsylvania with unstable living situations find more stable housing and other community resources, like food. UPMC is proud to partner with CHS in its mission.
After first meeting Kimberly, Lydia helped her find an apartment in a better neighborhood. When the first apartment didn’t work out long-term, she found a second place that became Kimberly’s home.
One of the bright spots is that her family, which includes nine grandchildren, can come visit her. They have picnics in the backyard when the weather is nice, and her grandchildren can play.
“I'm very happy with this place where I'm at now, and it's amazing,” Kimberly says. “I love it. It's really nice, it's clean, and she couldn't have done anything better than pick this place here.”
In addition to helping Kimberly find housing, Lydia helped her with other key tasks like insurance paperwork. She even helped with smaller asks, like teaching Kimberly how to send photos via email.
“She's wonderful,” Kimberly says. “She doesn't rush to do things. She takes her time and shows you and makes sure that you know and understand how to do it.”
Now living in a stable situation, Kimberly is appreciative of everything that Lydia, CHS, and UPMC have done for her.
“Anything that I needed, I could call Lydia, and she was there for me,” she says.
At UPMC, Life Changing Medicine means being there when needed.
Learn more about how Community Human Services (CHS) helps individuals in our community connect with residential support and other critical resources.
Working in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh and a wide range of community organizations, we are committed to improving the health of the communities we serve.
Life Changing Medicine at UPMC is made possible every day through the generosity of numerous individuals, corporations and foundations.
With volunteers ranging from teens to seniors and options involving office work or patient care, there's a place for all qualifying volunteers at nearly two dozen UPMC hospitals.
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