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Thomas K. Hofer
I am qualified to write this book because it describes my experience with New Orleans, the year that I worked for Hope House at New Orleans, the several experiences that I had while working there, ...view moreI am qualified to write this book because it describes my experience with New Orleans, the year that I worked for Hope House at New Orleans, the several experiences that I had while working there, and the efforts I made to save or renew the grant that helped pay my salary as well as the efforts we made to help needy people, and how my efforts failed. Inasmuch as I was the case manager for that program, known as homeless prevention, I was one of the central figures in this situation; thus, I am able to decribe the situation.
The experience started as a happy one, with me having a job that I liked after five months of hanging in limbo following an unjust termination from another job. I really liked my work at Hope House, had a happy work environment, and felt I was doing something useful for needy people as they either faced eviction and subsequent homelessness or were homeless but had found a place to stay and needed help with their deposits. While on the job, I had several other experiences, both good and bad ones, all of which I feel like sharing. I also am making several observations about New Orleans and its lack of progress in rebuilding after Katrina, becasue that impacted our work at Hope House as well.
I was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1947. In 1955, as an eight-year old boy, I moved with my parents to Giessen, Germany, where I was unitl 1965 whern they and I moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. I graduated from Tulane University, New Orleans, in May 1976. In May 1979, I started my social service career as an eligibility worker with the State of Louisiana, Department of Social Services, working with welfare recipients. In August 1989, I moved to Orlando, Florida, to work in child protection. Then, in 1997, I returned to New Orleans to work in several positions at Covenant House New Orleans. Covenant House abruptly terminated my employment in July 2007, and in November of that same year, Hope House hired me as a case manager in its homeless prevention program after receiving a grant that funded that program. When I was hired, I was told that that grant would last only one year, however, becasue my associate and I felt that we werte doing well on our jobs, we had good reasons to believe that the grant would be extended beyond that year or renewed. Unfortunately, that did not occur, and so my associate and I lost our jobs on Novemer 14, 2008. After first remaining in New Orleans with financial support from other sources, I moved to Morgan City, LA, to live with family I have there. I am now retired.view less