From Jets games to financial freedom, Sabrina Ferreira De Paula-Morier helps individuals living in New Directions’ Adult Home Share service follow their dreams, whatever the size.
“I’m here for you,” is what she tells every individual she supports. As a case manager for the Adult Home Share service, she oversees 18 different homes with people with varying needs. She makes it her mission to have people she supports trust her and come to her with whatever they need, and she does everything she can to help.
Connection and relationships building with people she supports are the best part of Sabrina’s job. She does this by making monthly home visits where she spends time with the home share provider and the individual living with the home share provider. These visits are crucial in strengthening relationships, trust, and happiness in the home. It’s a time where she gets to make a face-to-face connection and listen to what the individual needs. It’s also an opportunity to make sure the support team is on the same page and to encourage the home share provider to take pieces of training that relate to the needs of the person they support.
When she’s not visiting in person, she frequently calls each home to check-in and not only speaks with the home share provider but the individual living in the home. “I want them to know they can call me or come to me at any time with anything,” says Sabrina. This is why building and strengthening the relationships between staff and people receiving supports are crucial. It helps people feel comfortable asking for what they need to live their best life.
To achieve a meaningful life, Sabrina and the person’s support team create a Life Plan where they break down all wants, needs, and goals into smaller steps and create a timeline so that it can be easily achieved. Goals can be little or big and can include things like finding ways to spend the day with work or hobbies, finally being able to see a Jets game or achieving autonomy in making their own decisions about spending time and money.
Of course, being happy in the home itself is essential to living a great life. Most individuals receiving home share supports are happy and enjoy their homes. They love the feeling of living in a family setting and enjoy the connections they have with members of the household.
Having a home share provider who genuinely cares and is committed to helping each individual live the life they want can be transformational. If you think this sounds like something you can do and want to be a part of, consider applying to be a home share provider with Adult Home Share services at New Directions.
