Front-line Strategies

Case managers Nadia Lalani, at left, and Stefany Maldonado help clients of Catholic Charities Fort Worth achieve a better future. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)

Case managers at Catholic Charities Fort Worth are the faces, hands, and feet of the agency’s long-term case management programs. They do more listening than talking. They ask questions and listen to what clients want and need to achieve their “bigger, brighter future,” explained Stefany Maldonado, case manager for Padua, CCFW’s long-term case-management program.

“We use respectful curiosity,” she said. “Instead of telling clients what they need to change, we use open-ended and interested questions.
“We don’t give answers,” she continued. “We allow them to choose what they need to do. If they get stuck, we can offer options.”

Padua Case Manager Nadia Lalani said CCFW’s long-term case management is both holistic and client-led. She said holistic case management goes far beyond financial needs.

“We’re not just giving them one-time financial assistance for rent and then saying goodbye. This is not that kind of program,” she said. “This program provides the opportunity to work with clients in a deeper manner.”

 The “client-led” aspect of Padua “is building rapport and trust, learning about the person, following their lead, and allowing them to take this journey at their pace,” Maldonado explained. 

Lalani said, “It takes as long as it takes. Some are in the program six months … some for three years. People come with different goals. It takes time to reach those goals.”

In addition to being holistic and client-led, Padua also is research-based. Research shows that Padua clients are 25 percent more likely to achieve full-time employment and earn a 46 percent higher income. Unhoused clients are 64 percent more likely to secure stable housing. That research now benefits all CCFW long-term case management programs.

Padua Program Manager Melissa Toro said, “Research and insights gained from Padua have been integrated throughout our programs and services, so this approach is not unique to Padua but reflects how CCFW delivers care more broadly.”

Because CCFW’s long-term programs offer lower caseloads, a caseworker to assist the case manager with resource connections, and flexible strategic financial assistance, case managers have time and resources to guide clients toward financial and emotional resilience.

 “We do that by not doing it all for them,” Maldonado said. “We want them to build those skills so if they’re ever in that situation again, they know what steps to take.”

Maldonado explained clients often are in crisis when they begin case management, so coaching for emotional resilience requires a safe, nonjudgmental relationship. With trust and rapport, she sees their executive function begin to evolve.

“They start to think in a manner which helps them make better decisions for themselves,” Lalani noted.

“We say in Padua that our clients are ‘resourceful, resilient, and creative,’” Maldonado concluded. “They are all resilient in some way — so we just have to bring it out.”

Volunteer, contribute to, or learn more about Catholic Charities Fort Worth by visiting CatholicCharitiesFortWorth.org.