Nominated by: Michael Pasinski, LCSW HUD VASH Team Lead Lebanon VAMC Lebanon, Pennsylvania
I am nominating Randall Haines to be featured during Case Management Week. I have been Team Lead for a HUD-VASH Team out of Lebanon PA for the past 5 years. Mr. Haines was assigned to our team, which serves Harrisburg and surrounding communities, last year. Mr. Haines quickly learned the basics of the position and has been consistently pushing forward to raise the bar.
Mr. Haines has not only been a team member but has also helped to shape the practices of each member of our team. He is committed to research and the implementation of assessments and corresponding interventions and is quite conscientious about outcomes. I’d like to highlight two recent interventions that demonstrate his commitment to the growth of the Veterans served by our team.
Many of our Veterans have issues with budgeting money, especially since there is often very little to go around. Mr. Haines has recognized the value of empowering our Veterans and has strategically implemented a budgeting curriculum with several Veterans. He was able to access a budgeting workbook for monthly and weekly spending and uses this to help Veterans set life goals and take control of their resources. When other more traditional approaches to setting up a budget had low “buy in,” Mr. Haines sought out another approach. He has had a positive response to the workbooks and is helping Veterans have a healthier relationship with their finances. This consequently has had a positive impact on behavioral health and Veteran engagement in the HUD-VASH Program.
Secondly, in his work with Veterans coming out of homelessness, Mr. Haines noticed a common barrier to accessing community resources—transportation. Though some Veterans in the program can access public transportation, others live in areas with minimal access. Mr. Haines identified a few Veterans who could benefit from e-bikes and accessed the bikes for those Veterans. This was innovative, as the bikes can be charged at home and have greatly widened the limits of those Veterans’ communities. The e-bikes have helped Veterans with less stamina to get around and have helped Veterans locate and maintain employment. The e-bikes have reduced isolation and have improved quality of life for several Veterans.
These are just a few examples of Mr. Haines’s innovative ideas, with a focus on improving mental health and community inclusion. Mr. Haines recognizes the connection his focus has on Veteran health and housing stability, and he is making excellent strides in Veteran engagement.
