When first meeting Mr. Raymond Bordwine "Tiny", the caseworker discovered he was living out of his truck at a camp site in Saltillo.  Even though he did have some sort of shelter, his truck did not run and he had no way of providing himself with heat.  It was extremely cold, and this winter night in December 2012, could prove to be very dangerous if he stayed in his truck due to record low temperatures.  The case worker swiftly contacted the Director at Tennessee Homeless Solutions (THS) and made him aware of Mr. Bordwine’s situation.  THS immediately provided Mr. Bordwine a safe and warm place to sleep at a local hotel for the night.  

 After getting Tiny settled in the hotel, the caseworker noticed that he was wearing only a tee shirt (in the middle of the winter) and his shoes had holes in them.  THS quickly meet his need by providing him with a new pair of shoes and warm clothing which were donated to THS by individuals form the local community.  The following day, it became apparent that Tiny was an eligible candidate for the Supportive Housing Program (SHP) which assists in housing the disabled chronically homeless.  Tiny was housed at the hotel for a few more nights until permanent housing was provided for him in Henderson County, TN.  

Since entry to the SHP program, Tiny has come a long way.  He has gone from homeless to housed, penniless to receiving his Social Security benefits, sickly to having insurance and seeing the doctor regularly.  Come to find out, Tiny has a defibrillator and a pace maker!!  It is sad to think about what his outcome would have been if he would have continued to live under those conditions!  Once permanent housing was located, Tiny moved in his home, something that he had not had in a very long time.  In coordination with Hope Ministries, we were able to provide household goods and furniture for his new home!