Ali Jafari has worked for Pathways Vermont for over 3 years now. They started as a Resident Support Staff at the Pathways Vermont Soteria House and most recently has been an operator with the Pathways Vermont Support Line. We asked Ali to share their story in front of the House Healthcare Committee at the Statehouse on January 31st to support Pathways Vermont in our effort to receive additional funding for the Support Line to expand to 24/7 coverage (currently the line is open from 3pm-6am.) Below is their testimony.
“Hello, it is wonderful to be {at the Statehouse} and to be able to speak on behalf of the support line that is very dear to me.
My name is Ali Jafari and I have been a resident of Burlington for the last 18 years, I would like to start by sharing a little about my experience, I arrived in Vermont almost 18 years ago and the journey of becoming a Vermonter has been a long and challenging road for me. My entire world view shifted when I started work with Pathways, no longer I looked at my experiences as a weakness, but strength a strength that we at Pathways call shared experience. The belief in shared experience and the peer support model is why I have been able to become independent and have lifted myself and now am able to give back to the community that I call home.
Now I would like to share a story with respect to privacy and anonymity of one of our callers that I have had the privilege of working with. This caller started calling our support line during one of the most difficult times in their life, as they were losing their home in Chittenden County, they started reaching out to us, they were facing many challenges as they lost their whole livelihood, and as they found themselves in dark places the support line was with them, sometimes two or three times a day. They reached out in many situations while the police and emergency services were unable to assist them they reached out to us, and have shared with me “You guys understand me, you know me we are family.” and that is really the type of connection we have been able to develop with our callers, they trust us, they know we are not going to prematurely send an ambulance or a police car to them just because they are experiencing an extreme state, we are there with them giving them real human connection. I am glad to report that this caller has been able to reach out and now is receiving community support and waiting for permanent housing. They tell me almost every time we speak, “you guys understand, you have been through this, and I’m really thankful for that…” I speak with dozens of folks every day, who say what we do at the support line is very important to them, I’m very proud to be part of this team. And very proud to be a Vermonter that understands the value of peer support and strength of human connection and shared experience.
Since the support line has been covering overnights, we have been able to provide support during some of the hardest times for our callers. On many occasions I have heard this request from our callers that they need our services during all hours, “I wish I could check in with you in the morning for information.” One caller shared with me, “I really need your support today wish I could reach out to your throughout the day.” another caller shared. When someone is going through a crisis, every minute and hour counts, sometimes not being able to connect with someone can cause the caller to get lost in an extreme situation and find themselves in an emergency room, police station or even worse. With that, I would like to request that you help us in the endeavor to make the support line a 24/7 hour service, thank you for your time.” – Ali