For Amplify Austin this year, we’re featuring residents who are finding success with help from supportive services offered by Foundation Communities. Please donate to our Amplify Austin campaign here, and help us continue to fund these services. 

A resident of Arbor Terrace, Richard McNatty says when he moved in more than a decade ago, he thought all he needed was a place to live. He had no idea how important our Supportive Services nursing program would be for him.

From his origins in rural New York to working the railroads in Minnesota, to Montana where he co-owned a restaurant, Richard’s journey is as diverse as his cooking skills. Landing in Austin with dreams of attending culinary school, financial barriers dashed his goals. In 2012, Richard was struggling to make ends meet in a minimum wage kitchen job and was facing homelessness when a serendipitous encounter connected him with Foundation Communities.

In 2016, Richard was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer but triumphed through treatment and remains in remission. During his recovery, he was referred to the Supportive Services team nurse, Rita DeBellis who he fondly refers to as his “guardian angel.” Nurse Rita continues to go to medical appointments with Richard. She takes detailed notes, which she uses to remind Richard of all the doctor’s orders and to keep Richard’s sister informed about his condition.

“The best part about living at Arbor Terrace is getting to visit with Nurse Rita,” said Richard. “She keeps me on track.”

Collaborating for years with the team’s therapist has also enriched Richard’s personal growth and self-awareness. He says he’s feeling better these days and his tasty baked goodies have made him a favorite among both the staff and residents. Richard McNatty’s story is one of resilience, community and a passion for life and cooking!

The opening of The Loretta Apartments in NW Austin couldn’t have come at a better time for Glenda Dennis and her daughter and son. After the rent for her townhome went up last year, the family barely had enough money to live on. Then, the child support payments Glenda counted on to supplement her income became unreliable. She got behind and they were just days away from being evicted with no plan for where they would go.

The Dennis family moved into the new community at 13649 Rutledge Spur last month through our Children’s HOME Initiative for families at risk of becoming homeless. We still have affordable 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments available for applicants who meet the low-to-moderate income and other requirements. Residents will have free access to the Afterschool and Summer programs at the Learning Center at nearby Lakeline Station Apartments, as well as Healthy Food Pantry and fitness programs. The leasing office is open Monday through Saturday to accept applications. Walk-ins are welcome. Appointments can be made at TLmanager@foundcom.org or by calling 512-381-5560.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Dennis family’s story and see them celebrate their first Thanksgiving in their new home in The Loretta.

Before treating the crowd at Prosper Center – South to a healthy dose of great music, Austin musician and HAAM member Kelsi Creek talked about struggling with chronic ailments and being without health insurance for four years. Kelsi now has health insurance through the Healthcare.gov Marketplace.

Foundation Communities kicked off Open Enrollment on November 1. Executive Director Walter Moreau urged uninsured community members to let our team of health insurance navigators help them select the plan that will work best for their health care needs and budget. Austin City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes said health coverage is a right and not a privilege, while Congressman Lloyd Doggett said many Texans who qualify for zero-premium plans don’t enroll. Open Enrollment for Healthcare.gov Marketplace insurance runs through January 16. You can watch video of the Prosper Health Coverage Kickoff event at the video below.

As the lead maintenance technician at Cardinal Point Apartments, Jeremiah Balingene stays very busy making repairs, and getting apartments ready for new residents. Thirteen years ago, he was in their position, moving into a Foundation Communities apartment community and looking forward to a better life. His housing story doesn’t start there, but in central Africa.

in 2002 Jeremiah and his family lost their home in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo when a volcano started spewing ash and lava. They had already been surrounded by violence and death as the genocidal civil war in neighboring Rwanda had spilled into their city. The danger became too much. In 2006, the Balingene family fled to a refugee camp in the country of Tanzania. They were safe, but food was scarce. In 2010, Jeremiah and his family had an opportunity to legally emigrate to the United States through a US State Department program. Jeremiah said, “I chose to be part of American people. It looked like it was safe here.”

The Balingene family relocated to Central Texas because of the warm, “Congo-like” climate. As sponsored refugees, the seven-member family (at that time) had a three-bedroom apartment waiting for them in Foundation Communities’ Trails at Vintage Creek Apartments. To help them with the transition, their rent and utility bills were waived for about 13 months. Still, it wasn’t easy.

“There was a lot of struggle to find a job, then you find a job, but the job is not easy for you,” said Jeremiah. “In the refugee camp, if I needed to make money I could raise chickens. Where can I raise chickens here?” Jeremiah started working for a recycling company, sorting through trash for minimum wage. When the time came when they had to pay rent and utility bills, the family had very little money left over.

The culture shock from language barriers, confusing procedures, and foods much different from the fufu and cassava leaves they were used to had the family thinking about going back to Africa. Jeremiah says it was support from Foundation Communities that helped them find a comfort zone. The property manager at that time, Mandy Lewis, helped them with things like paperwork and shopping. The most valuable resource was the Learning Center where the children could be safe and supervised after school and receive help with their homework. Jeremiah also took advantage of the ESL classes there. “Vintage Creek, they have a program for English. I was going there every single day to learn how to speak American English, and listening too. Listening was a real struggle,” said Jeremiah.

Jeremiah’s English improved. So did his computer skills and the family’s financial situation. In 2012 he started working as a porter at Vintage Creek. While on duty he followed the community’s maintenance workers learning what they knew, and very quickly Jeremiah became one of the maintenance techs. Two years later, he was promoted to lead maintenance tech at FC’s Spring Terrace, and last year, he became the lead at Cardinal Point. Each promotion came with a pay raise. “When we start, we may not be a professional, but they keep teaching us. Then, send us to school, give us a lot of training, and I love it,” said Jeremiah.

By 2017, the Balingene family had grown to 10 members, and outgrown their three-bedroom apartment. Thanks to years of affordable housing, steady employment and good money management, they were able to purchase a new five-bedroom home, which Jeremiah says is their investment in their future. He says it would not have happened without support from Foundation Communities. “This company is like a family…like a community,” said Jeremiah. “(Foundation Communities) has a very big heart. Take care for everybody. No restriction. Please keep going that way to help more people.”

Jeremiah is doing his part to help others. He pastors a local church, and he has started an organization to sponsor and assist Africans who want to come to America to escape danger and extreme poverty.

Foundation Communities is proud to welcome home families like the Balingenes, and help them find success in Central Texas. Immigrants have helped us as well by accepting positions we have struggled to fill. Currently, more than half of our maintenance staff is comprised of immigrants who keep our apartment communities clean and in working order.

The Giraldos came into one of our Foundation Communities Prosper Centers recently interested in getting signed up for affordable health care coverage. Benefits Assistance staff members helped them get their youngest child signed up for Medicaid and determined that they were also eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The rest of the family was eligible for Marketplace health insurance plans and tax credits to make them affordable.

Foundation Communities launched the Prosper Benefits Assistance Program in the spring of this year. That was just in time to help tackle a healthcare crisis. According to some lawmakers, about a million Texans have lost access to Medicaid since April. That’s when the automatic renewal for Medicaid that was put in place by the Biden Administration because of COVID-19 expired. Some critics are saying that many of those who were not renewed for Medicaid still met the eligibility requirements, they just didn’t renew in time because the state failed to inform people about the change and assist them with renewal.

Many Central Texans who recently lost Medicaid benefits are being referred to Foundation Communities by other nonprofits such as Casa Marianela, or healthcare providers like CommunityCare. A big reason is our ability to renew clients for Medicaid through our Benefits Assistance Program, or to sign them up for Marketplace health insurance plans through our Health Coverage program if they no longer qualify for Medicaid.

So, what are we hearing from those clients? Foundation Communities Benefits Enrollment Specialist Jessica Valdez says many are angry or confused about being dropped from Medicaid. They’re worried because their children don’t have health insurance, especially if they have a child who needs ongoing care. Many of the referrals from clinics are people who had been denied care because of disenrollment, and in some cases enough time has passed that they need to start a whole new application for Medicaid. Valdez said, “A significant number were dropped because they weren’t aware they had to apply for renewal. Many had moved and didn’t receive mailed notifications and hadn’t checked the app or web site. Application completion and documentation is where most people get stuck.”

There is a lot of documentation required to apply for Medicaid. Sometimes applicants are asked to provide documentation they had already submitted. “Sometimes, people tell us they don’t have time to collect documents while having to work and care for their families,” said Valdez. “Particularly, employer verification forms can be difficult to obtain.”

Valdez shared this advice for Central Texas Medicaid recipients:

• Be informed on when you need to renew.
• Update your contact information with HHS. You can call 2-1-1 or go to yourtexasbenefits.com to make updates.
• Come see us! We can help troubleshoot and get you through the application process. Learn how here.

Texas leads the nation in the number of uninsured residents, and with all the non-renewals this year, that number is soaring. Not having health insurance can lead some devastating outcomes for health and finances. Foundation Communities is working to help Central Texans get through the process of enrolling in Medicaid, or affordable coverage through the Healthcare.gov Marketplace. The Giraldo family is resting easier knowing they have affordable health insurance. Carlos Giraldo said, “My family and I are very grateful for the advice that Jessica and Gigi at Foundation Communities gave us, with their kindness, advice and guidance they helped us to currently have the benefits to which we applied. Really the existence of organizations like this is valuable for those who migrate and are the light in the middle of the process.”