Day 1, Part 1 – Date of Enrollment

The soft chime of a bell announced the arrival of a young woman who appeared to be putting extra effort into her nonchalant expression.

From behind the intake desk, Ginga smiled at her and gestured towards the lobby chairs. "Good afternoon, Miss. Please take a seat and I will be with you shortly. Help yourself to our complementary snacks."

The young woman nodded and walked over to the waiting area. Aside from the gentleman speaking with Ginga at the moment, she was the only other person waiting for assistance. Her fingers glided over the pre-packaged breakfast muffins, day-old bagels from the coffee shop around the corner, and fruit that appeared to look fairly fresh. At the very least, no mold was visible. Without picking up any of the food, despite the soft protest from her stomach, the woman moved on to look at the wall of pamphlets. The more popular ones, or the least well stocked ones, were titled, "10 Ways to Keep to Your Budget" and "Free Classes for Self-Improvement." Her eyes skimmed the titles, none really catching her interest until she had neared the end of the offerings. Although her expression remained void of intrigue, she picked up the pamphlet titled, "Low-Income Child Care Providers."

"Miss?" Ginga gave the woman a warm smile as the visitor turned to make eye contact. "I'm ready for you now if you'd like to take a seat here?"

The woman carefully folded the pamphlet back up and returned it to the slot she had found it before heading to the seat across the desk from Ginga. Before she could sit down, Ginga offered her hand in greeting. The woman looked from the outstretched hand to the face of the woman offering it, seemingly at a loss for how to respond.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm glad you could make it in to see us here."

Finally, the woman cracked a smile and shook the outstretched hand. "I'm sorry; it's been a while since a stranger has wanted to shake my hand. Apparently, sleeping in the park makes you unworthy of normal social customs."

Ginga smiled in understanding. "Maybe out there, yes, but not here. Please, have a seat. So what would you like help with today, Miss?"

The woman sat down and Ginga followed suit. The woman took a deep breath before replying, "One of your representatives found me panhandling on the street just outside Memorial Park. When she heard that I was a TSAB veteran, she recommended that I come here for help. She said you could help with getting me and my daughter into permanent housing again."

Ginga nodded as she started writing notes on the blank form in front of her. "And where is your daughter now, Miss?"

"She's… staying with my mother."

"You don't have to divulge anything that you don't feel comfortable sharing, but, if I may ask, what's keeping you from living with your mother and daughter, rather than the park?"

The woman looked down at her hands as they tightened into fists. Softly, she answered, "My mother doesn't want me around my daughter… she thinks I'm an unfit parent. I want her back and I'm ready to take the steps, but I just can't afford it right now."

Ginga nodded as she continued to write notes. "I see. That's an unfortunate situation. If your mother is reasonable, we should be able to prove to her that you can resume caretaker responsibilities by the end of the program. How much would you say you make from panhandling? Do you have any other source of income?"

The woman shook her head. "I don't panhandle regularly. Only when the soup kitchen is too crowded for me or when I can't get free food from somewhere else before I collapse from hunger."

"When did you last look for a job?"

After a moment's thought, the woman replied, "I've been looking for the last six months, ever since I was fired. I last submitted my resume from the library computer last Saturday."

"Have you been sleeping in the park ever since you lost your job?"

"No. It took five months for my savings to run out, so I couldn't stay in a motel anymore. I've only been at the park for the last month."

"A possible Category 2 then…" Ginga reviewed her notes and then nodded. "Do you have your veteran documentation with you- something to prove that you were discharged from service with anything other than dishonorable?"

The woman nodded, pulling a crumpled sheet of paper out of her inner jacket pocket and offering it to Ginga. "The woman I met told me to bring it with me here."

This elicited an approving nod from Ginga as she accepted the document and started to unfold it. "Good, good. It looks like you will meet the basic requirements for our program then, Miss… Takamachi. If you will just begin filling out this paperwork here, we can formally enroll you into the program and get you scheduled with a case manager. Take your time filling them out and please just speak up if you have a question about anything. Everything should be written out in the forms. In the meantime, if you have a photo ID on you, I would like to make a copy of it and this TSAB-214 form so I can give the originals back to you."

Miss Takamachi nodded, again reaching into her pocket for her ID card. After handing it to Ginga, she pulled the clipboard closer to her and settled down to read and begin filling in the fields.

Ginga stood up and walked two paces to the copier/scanner they had on hand for just this purpose. After sitting back down with the paper copies, she quickly reviewed the copies to ensure that they were clearly legible. Once satisfied that they were, she placed the documents next to Miss Takamachi, who returned them to her pocket before silently continuing with the paperwork. Ginga pulled out a fresh vanilla folder and neatly wrote the woman's name on the tab as it was written on the TSAB-214. She placed the paper copies of the TSAB-214 and the photo ID in the folder and set it aside to essentially do the same on the electronic case management system. She cut and paste the image from the photo ID into the file's photo field. After setting the status to "Being Processed in Intake: Documentation Received", she saved and minimized the file.

"Excuse me… this part here where it says 'Disabling Condition'… I was diagnosed with PTSD, but I don't feel disabled by it."

Ginga nodded and responded, "Put it down anyway; we use that field to compile a list of possible benefit referrals. For example, TSAB veterans receive disability benefits for any health conditions derived from their time on active duty, so it still applies."

Miss Takamachi nodded and continued filling out the forms.

After a moment's pause to make sure that she didn't have any follow-up questions, Ginga reviewed the case manager case load and frowned when she noticed that, with the last participant enrolled, all had hit their recommended client per case manager ratio. She pulled up the internal instant messaging system and noticed that Fate was listed as 'Available'. Ginga opened a window to start a conversation.

Ginga: Miss Fate, are you free to talk now?

Fate: Yes, what can I help you with?

Ginga: I have a veteran here with me. She's currently filling out the paperwork, but she had all the documentation and I've already confirmed eligibility. Honorable discharge, no income, literally homeless.

Fate: Great!

Ginga: The only thing is that the girls are all booked with their current case load. I was wondering if you would like to take this one on yourself? She has a child custody issue as well, if that helps to sway you.

Fate: I wish you wouldn't imply that I rarely take on cases. I just exited two participants today, so I would be happy to add her to my list. Let me just verify with Hayate that she will be available for reviewing the file.

Ginga: Perfect! And just as a heads up, I think she's your type, but keep it professional!

Immediately, Ginga heard the telltale flutter of office window blinds as Fate peeked out from her office.

Fate: I suppose I will just have to try extra hard so that she is no longer my client as soon as possible. I concur with your assessment, though.

Ginga: I thought you might. Also, I think Hayate is the one that referred her here. She's the only one that does outreach at Memorial Park, right?

Fate: Correct. Although now that you mention it, I need to double-check when I'm next scheduled to visit Lindy at the homeless shelter.

Ginga: Busy as a bee. I'm glad I don't have your job.

Fate: I wouldn't be busy if it weren't for your hard work. But it's good that we're busy; I'd like to think it's because we're doing what we set out to do.

Ginga: Yes, indeed. Oh, it looks like she's about ready. Okay to send her in? I'd give it about 10 minutes.

Fate: Yes. I have no appointments for another two hours. Send her in when you're ready.

Ginga smiled as the woman looked up. "Did you have any other questions, Miss Takamachi?"

The woman shook her head as she set down the pen and handed the clipboard back. "No, it's a very thorough program. I'm hopeful for a successful future."

Ginga smiled again. "As are we all, Miss Takamachi. I'm glad you feel that way." She skimmed the newly filled out forms for missing fields and signed where it called for intake certification. Satisfied with its completion, she scanned the documents into the system and then placed the originals in the paper case file. Standing up with the case file in hand, she gave the woman a fresh smile. "Well, that completes everything I needed from you, Miss Takamachi. If you'll follow me, I can introduce you to your new case manager. She will verify everything that I received from you today and then help you put together an action plan going forward."

The woman smiled and nodded, standing up to follow Ginga to Fate's office. Ginga knocked on the office door, waiting until she heard Fate's soft voice welcome her in before turning the door knob. She then stepped aside to let Miss Takamachi walk through. "Fate, I'd like you to meet Miss Nanoha Takamachi. Miss Takamachi, this is Fate Harlaown. She will be your main point of contact for the duration of this program."

Fate stood up and walked around her desk with an outstretched hand. This time, Nanoha was ready to receive the hand shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Takamachi. Thank you, Ginga."

After Fate accepted the case folder, Ginga nodded and excused herself, closing the door behind the woman.

"You have good people here. It's nice to meet you, too, Miss Harlaown."

"Please, call me Fate. Beyond intake, everyone is on a first-name basis, given the personal nature of the assistance that we provide." Fate smiled as she walked with Nanoha to her desk and pulled out a chair for Nanoha to sit on. "And I'm glad you think so. Hayate worked very hard to work out the policies and procedures to convey what she wanted to through her staff. I'll be sure to tell her that it's working."

"You can call me Nanoha then. I don't mind." As she watched Fate sit down behind the desk and begin to look over the case file, Nanoha asked, "Who is Hayate? Is she the President?"

Fate nodded in return. "She usually goes by Executive Director, but as we have no President, she serves the function of both. You've met her before actually. Did the representative who spoke with you at Memorial Park have short brown hair with a ribbon in her bangs?"

"Yes, she did, come to think of it. I didn't know the Executive Director went through all the trouble to go out and meet people. Does she do that often?"

"She does. Memorial Park is her favorite place for what we call outreach. It's where Lindy found her when she was down on her luck. Lindy owns the homeless shelter two blocks from here."

Nanoha raised her eyebrows in surprise. "The Executive Director used to be homeless?"

Fate looked up from reading and smiled at the interest Nanoha was taking in their organization. "Yes, she did. All of the case managers here used to be homeless at one point. They went through our program and kept in touch and ultimately decided to stay on as employees."

"Does that go for you as well, Fate?"

Fate paused in thought for a moment, debating how much she should divulge at this point. "No, but Lindy took me in as a foster when I was young, so I've been around the community for most of my life. My biological mother was… a drug addict. She became delusional and the combination eventually killed her."

"Oh…" Nanoha bowed her head as way of apology. "I'm sorry."

Fate shook her head. "It's all right, Nanoha. We believe that communication is a two-way street; I'm going to need personal information from you to get you the most individualized assistance, so it's only fair if I'm equally forthcoming if you are ever curious." When Nanoha nodded in response, Fate continued, "I see here that you would like child care services, but you didn't list a dependent. Is that right?"

Nanoha nodded again. "My daughter, Vivio, is staying with my mother. I haven't cared for her since I was evicted, so I didn't list her as a dependent. But if this goes well, I would need child care support until I could fully support her on my own."

"I see." Fate wrote some notes on the electronic case file before switching to another tab. "So let's take a good look at what you need to get back on your feet. You need permanent housing and income; those are a given. The question is in the how to get you those. Let's start with the income component, since income will definitely help you. Your last place of employment was TSAB, is that correct?"

"Yes, I was an instructor."

"So you served and then were employed by them? That's quite commendable. What were the circumstances of your departure?"

Nanoha took a deep breath and then began her explanation. "I was fired because I stopped showing up to work. It started when I just couldn't muster the energy to smile anymore, and then I couldn't bear to talk to anyone anymore, until finally, I just didn't want to see anyone anymore, even my own daughter. God only knows how she managed to feed herself before my mother stepped in."

"Have you ever seen anyone about your condition?"

"Yes. That's where I was diagnosed with PTSD. I stopped going to the therapy sessions when I couldn't afford it anymore, but I went regularly between the time that I was evicted and when I ran out of money. I've wanted to get better ever since she was taken away."

"If you could afford it, would you like to continue that therapy? Did you feel that it helped?"

Nanoha paused before answering, "It didn't feel like enough. But I don't think it was detrimental."

Fate nodded, continuing to make notes. "Do you remember the name of the person you saw? Can you write down their information? However much you can remember is fine. We'll try to talk to them and cross-reference our list of affiliates to see what we can arrange for you. Regular sessions may help your case in regaining custody of your daughter."

Nanoha nodded and started scribbling on the notepad that Fate offered her.

Once she had set down the pen, Fate took the notepad and input the information in her notes for future reference. As she was doing so, she verified, "The participant agreement you signed had weekly meetings with me as a program requirement. Is that okay with you?"

Nanoha nodded again. "I don't mind, but I don't have a watch or a cell phone anymore to keep track of appointments…"

"That's all right. We lend pagers to our participants until they get established enough to afford our creature comforts." Fate paused her typing to smile and wink at Nanoha. "But if you lose our archaic, cumbersome pager, it'll come out of your first paycheck."

"Really?"

"Of course not." Fate returned to reading the forms. "When you see one, you'll understand. The set was donated to us by a restaurant owner who went out of business. We didn't pay for them so you hardly should. But do try not to lose it; they're practically ancient artifacts at this point."

Nanoha smiled and nodded. "Will do."

Fate returned her attention to the written case file. "Let's see now… so we'll get you started on therapy sessions to keep you in the right frame of mind… I'm pretty sure at least one of our affiliates will take on your case at no charge for a limited time. I suppose you've had trouble getting a new job because the references from your last job weren't good enough?"

"My record up until close to the end was near perfect. It was the circumstances of my dismissal that made people not want to hire me. No one wants to invest in someone who has a history of not showing up to work – worse, someone with a condition that may make them act out in ways even they themselves aren't aware of."

"Yes, I can see where that would make it hard to justify a hire… but you're willing to turn over a new leaf now, yes? Ideally, the therapy sessions will help resolve the underlying condition that changed your track record."

"Yes… Ideally."

"I think a temporary contract would work out well for reestablishing your work ethic. I don't know that we could get you an instructor-type position again, at least not immediately, but, as I said, it's only temporary. Would you be willing to accept that?"

"Yes. Although I haven't had any luck with finding temporary work either."

Fate smiled. "Hayate is well-connected. She looks after the participants like they're her own children. We'll get you working before you know it."

Nanoha nodded. "What kind of work would it be?"

"Well, what would you like to do? If you want a career change, now is the best time to start going a different route."

"I never really thought about it before… At least, not recently. I never went to college. I went straight to TSAB after high school."

"Would you like to go? College isn't for everyone, but there are TSAB benefits that can pay most or all of your tuition expenses if that's what you want to do."

"Really? Even if I don't know what I would major in?"

Fate nodded. "Knowing what you want out of it helps, but you can spend the first two years completing core classes before you really have to decide on a major. And even if you choose an unrelated career path afterwards, as long as you did well in the classes you took and graduate with decent grades, you won't be penalized for it. Did you do well in high school?"

Nanoha nodded. "I did well enough. I never failed a class and I graduated on time."

"That's a good start. Then I'll put down college as a possible option to follow up on to help secure better employment in the future. We'll get you enrolled in a test prep course for the assessment test that's required to enroll, too. And if that ends up being the case, the temporary job may be something menial like data entry, since college would help support a different career path. Would that be okay with you?"

Nanoha nodded again. "If it helps my case, I'm ready and willing."

"Great! I'll scour the databases for what's available right now with our affiliates and give you some temp assignments to choose from. I'll probably be able to give you a list by next week's meeting. I can arrange a meeting with the employer for the following week and we'll prep you beforehand so you can have a proper interview, and if they like you, they'll have you fill out their paperwork before the end of the session, and you should be able to start working the following Monday. That's how the process usually works."

Nanoha took a few seconds to process what Fate had said. "You think you can get me a job within three weeks? When I haven't been able to get a job on my own in six months?"

Fate smiled. "It's amazing what a solid network can accomplish, isn't it?"

Nanoha nodded mutely, staring off to the side as she reveled in this realization.

"So that will be the income side. Bear in mind, Nanoha, that it's not a guaranteed job offer. We can guarantee you the interview, but the winning them over part is still all you. Of course, we'll support you all we can, but it's ultimately your life and your victories."

"I like that. Thank you."

Fate smiled and continued, "Now for your housing situation… Do you want to live in a house or apartment?"

"With my daughter? Or right now?"

"With your daughter. If you have a preference for right now, though, please share that, too."

"I'd like to afford a house eventually. I'll probably never be able to afford a place like where my mother lives, but at least it would be a place to call home. I have no real preference for me alone right now; once you've slept on a park bench in winter, just about everything else is a step up."

Fate nodded. "It's fortunate that we had a warm winter this year. In any case, you're in luck. As a veteran, you could qualify for a home loan at a low interest rate with no down payment."

"Even with bad credit? I stopped paying my bills when I ran out of money…"

"Yes, we cosign the mortgage loans with our participants until they're credit worthy enough to take on the loan themselves. Another agreement we have with our affiliates. What kind of house would you like? That you would be willing to keep making payments on even after you exit the program."

"We talked about having a three-bed, two-bath house before everything fell apart… a room for both of us plus a guest room… maybe a yard since she's always wanted a dog…"

"Okay, we'll help you look for a good house that meets your needs at a feasible monthly cost. Until then, would you be willing to live at our facilities? There's a twenty-four month limit for living here and you'll have three roommates. But we provide three meals a day free of charge and when you have income, we'll move you to a private room and charge only ten percent of your after-tax income. The rest of your income we recommend using to pay off the consumer debt that we can't pay for with federal funds."

"What do you do with that ten percent?"

"We put it into a sub-account under your name and pay it to your loan provider to cover the first few months of mortgage payments."

Nanoha nodded. "So I'd live here while I'm getting my life back in order, and then I'd move into a house with Vivio?"

Fate smiled. "That's the game plan we recommend. It's worked for others, but again, it's your life and if you aren't committed to accomplishing these goals, it may not work out like that."

"You get out of it what you put into it, right?"

"Right."

Nanoha nodded, her growing resolve causing her to sit up taller with a far off look in her eyes. "What about work after the temporary job?"

"It depends on how bad your track record has really gotten. Continued unemployment also doesn't help the employability factor, but that's why we go the temp contract route, to get you working again without forcing you to commit to it long-term. If you'd like to go back to working at your last job, I can talk to your former supervisor and see if we can work out a deal. If I can, it'll probably be a conditional rehire based on continued good progress – like a probation period. If you'd like to go to college, we can look for a job that will get you through the school years without burning you out. That would be something basic, but longer than a typical temp contract- just enough to cover basic living expenses. It's a big decision though, so you can sleep on that one; we try to keep as many options open as we can. Did you have a car before?"

Nanoha nodded. "It was repossessed when I couldn't make loan payments anymore."

"We can give you public transportation vouchers until the temp job starts paying you. We'll add personal transportation to our list of goals. Our affiliates and our living facilities are on the bus route, so that shouldn't be an issue. The local university is also on the bus route if you wanted to continue with that. Veterans can get bus passes at a discounted price to cover transportation when we can no longer offer assistance. Now about that child care… We have affiliates that offer discounted child care to veterans. There are also volunteer programs that offer after-school care. Does Vivio go to a good school? One you would like her to stay in?"

Nanoha nodded. "It's one of the best. But her mother currently pays for it; it may be out of my price range. It was when I was a TSAB instructor."

"If you'll write down the name, I'll contact the people there to see if we can work something out in the future. If not, there are other good schools in town; public schools don't have any upfront costs."

As Nanoha again wrote on the notepad, she asked, "Is there anyone in town you aren't affiliated with?"

Fate smiled. "We have a TSAB base here in town. There are very few businesses, even private establishments, who wouldn't be willing to give our veterans a helping hand or a salute to their services during active duty. So, in short, maybe one or two."

"I've gotten discounts at restaurants before, but I never realized just how many benefits there were for veterans."

"With the latest government initiative, a lot of money has gone out towards ending homelessness for veterans, so the community has banded together towards that endeavor and it really adds up. Did you have any other concerns or goals?"

After a moment's consideration, Nanoha asked, "Can you help with my credit card debt?"

Fate frowned. "We can't pay it off for you, as it counts as consumer debt, but we can give you a place to stay while you use your job income to pay it, and payments in and of themselves will help to slowly rebuild your credit."

Nanoha nodded and leaned back in her seat.

Fate typed for a little bit longer before reading the newly filled out Individual Service Plan. "All right, tell me what you think of this, Nanoha. Your end goal is to own a home and live there with your daughter. To get there, you're going to need income and to get out of debt. To get enough income to get out of debt, we're going to get you set up with an interview and temporary job within 3 weeks. For longer term stability, we'll try to negotiate with your former employer within a week and, if you choose the college route, we'll get you set up for enrollment for the fall semester. For post-college income or if your former employer doesn't want to rehire you after the temp contract ends, we'll work with you on resume-building and interviewing to get you prepared for the process once you've been released from the program.

Fate paused to give Nanoha a chance to interject, but as she remained quiet, Fate continued, "To get a mortgage loan, you're also going to need as much credit repair as possible. Towards that end, we'll give you a place to stay while you're using the temp job income to pay off your debts. How fast you finish that will depend on how much the temp job will pay and how much debt you have. We'll estimate 3 months- the standard contract period- and revisit it then or whenever we can get a firmer estimate. Also, to support permanent employment, which supports permanent housing, we'll get referrals for affordable therapy options for you to attend while living here and working the temp job. We'll also offer you public transportation vouchers until you have that permanent job and can qualify for another car loan or have enough money saved for a used car. Having a job, a house, and a car will help your case when reevaluating your capacity as a caregiver. We'll also give you child care support for the first few months until you can save enough to really maintain a decent lifestyle. How does that sound? Did I miss anything?"

"What will happen if I can't get a permanent job after the temporary job ends?"

"It depends on the progress you've made and what, if any, new hindrances have come up. You should be able to stay at our facilities up until the twenty-four month mark, under the GPD program. Then you'll be released to your new home. With mortgage costs covered for the first few months, you should be able to afford the other expenses associated with moving into a new place. It may take a while before it looks enough like a home to invite your daughter to live with you again, but you'll have achieved it mostly through your own willpower and resourcefulness. Sound like a plan?"

Nanoha smiled. "Yes, yes it does."

A/N: Hello~ A few FYI things before you jab that review button… I haven't written fanfics in a long~ time, so I may be a little rusty. Two, I wrote this at work, so ability to research was limited (and now that I put it on my home computer, I'm too lazy). That said, there is some OOCness, particularly since I haven't watched any of Nanoha in a long time. On that note, I have not read the latest manga installment of Nanoha, for life beyond StrikerS. I read some, but I never finished it, so don't spoil it for me! I may get to it one day. This is obviously an A/U type story, more in our world than their world, but I tried to keep some things consistent. This goes for all the chapters to come. I don't expect to have any significant assignments until about a month so… that'll be roughly how many days I'll be spending writing this. So I may drop off, and then come back once my actual work is done. I mainly wrote this for me, as an exercise in understanding the program process, but well, you know, the literary mind does wander. And once I wrote it, I had to share it, so here you go. Until next time!