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A former case manager shares about reality of mental illness and finding oneself homeless.

At the height of her career, Cheryl was a case manager working for a mental health agency in Juneau, Alaska. She had two degrees from Northern Arizona University under her belt — in sociology and psychology. She was extremely knowledgeable in dealing with domestic violence issues, substance abuse and working with at-risk youth. In fact, she was so passionate about helping the most vulnerable in her community, she was also a foster parent to at-risk children.

“During this time, I became a ‘jack of all trades,’” she says, “It was very challenging, but I absolutely loved this work. I even set up a prevention program to go out to rural villages in Juneau to help people with medical and substance abuse issues. It was very fulfilling work.”

But like many residents living in Juneau, over the years Cheryl began to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) – Read the rest at: http://www.stvincentdepaul.net/svdp-blog/educated-and-homeless-cheryls-story-of-survival/