Dreamtree Project Inc

dream tree
Background info:

'we' refers to me and my partner. He had been in the program beforehand but due to covid he became homeless and had to come back to dream tree to avoid homelessness. I came to dreamtree because i was not mentally stable enough to go to college. This was my first experience with dream tree. He officially reentered the program in September of 2020. I joined the program in August of 2020.

In February of 2021 we were moved into an offsite trailer. I have never lived in Taos and was not aware of the location in regards of actual stores. We were assured we'd have rides and would still receive the help we were already receiving.



Events that happened (Not in order):

-November 15-16 we were informed that we were being discharged in February
-December 7-8 we were given the official date of discharge, January 31
-we were told we would receive help to find safe housing, they took us to one intake appointment and forgot about the one that next week (that they were informed about) and never followed up after then
-No follow up of housing. No asking for updates on where we will be living
-January 31 still no text or call or email from dream tree regarding discharge paperwork or housing
-Told me i was not working or going to school when i was receiving ssi for disability, and the program requirements were education OR increase in income.
-When i entered the program i was told i had 2 years and that was cut back to 18 months with no reasoning as to why
-Maintence on the trailer was either slow or none existent. We were donated a washer and dryer. The landlords maintenance man installed the dryer vent in backwards. The maintenance man through dream tree informed us he would be vacuuming the vent out every 3 months. One year later, the vent was never cleaned out, which is a fire hazard.
-no fire extinguisher
-We moved into a trailer on the side of town near cids. We were told we would have transportation. They suddenly cut our rides down to 2 per month between the two of us.
-We were receiving hormone replacement therapy, we got shots every 2 weeks. We would schedule ahead of time as requested so we would have a secure ride. We had to stop HRT in July due to ride issues.
-I started to develop physical health issues that limited my mobility. They still urged us to use the bus system despite me having issues walking or standing for long periods of time.
-I had surgery in October of 2021. One of my incisions got infected. The surgeon's office told me what i need to do/get. So i asked for a ride. They counted that towards one of the rides that month. Even though it was a medical run and i was advised to avoid using the bus by my surgeon.
-We reported water damage dripping from the ceiling and in the window sills. We got no reply.
-Our lease does not end until mid-end of February but we are not allowed to stay
-In July-June we had a meeting with a case manager and someone who was higher up. We went in thinking they'd meet us in the middle. So we made a list of our concerns. During the meeting little to none of our requests were actually met. It felt as though we didnt even get a chance and that they were already deadset on their decisions.
-The meeting in November regarding our discharge was not profressional and kept getting pushed back. They would not allow us to have the meeting together. They required it to be one person at a time. I expressed concern about my seizure activity and that i did not feel comfortable meeting alone. They did not listen to my concerns. During this meeting i brought up how their website states 'up to two years' and no other information. No where did it say 18 months. They would not listen to my words and every time i was talking and had a point i wanted to express i was told to calm down and breathe. I ended up having a seizure and the meeting was ended.
-I had to go to the ER and ended up having to call an ambulance because no one was willing to take me. I wasnt released until around midnight. I had to find my own ride home.
-Feb 2 dreamtree got in contact with us asking if we need support or help. We have already been moved out into temporary housing for now. I let them know i will be returning the keys as soon as i am able to. They said as long as its by Feb 28th it is okay. But the discharge letter stated they wanted us out by Jan 31. I brough that up and they said that we would then need to return the keys asap, which i already stated i was planing to do
-Our case manager, who believed our discharge date was at the end of February, was the one who handed us the envelopes with the letters stating our discharge date was January 31.


Opinion and how I feel:

So far i have kept all of my opinions out of this to the best of my ability. I tried to just present this review as facts. I whole heartedly believe that this program could be a good program. It has potential. But without the drive from the board and other employees, The transitional living program isnt running the way a program like this should. I do not have any opinions on the shelter program as i was never apart of it. But the people running TLP are not being professional in my eyes. I was a client of this program but I felt like i was being talked down on. I felt like i wasnt not being treated like my age or as an adult. Its as if though i have no say in my own care and plan. I have disabilities that affect my day to day life. This program is set up to help a very specific type of person. It isn't meant to be open to diversity. Because if it was open to diversity i wouldve been treated fairly and equally. I asked repeatedly for help. And it was as if my voice was not heard. I am disappointed in the way me and my partner were treated. We asked multiple times for housing repairs and the fact that some of those requests were pushed back for months until they came up with an excuse to not go through with it is beyond me. Me and my partner will be housing insecure until further notice. We weren't discharged into safe housing like promised. We got no discharge help from our case manager besides one appointment. There really is no excuse. I believe the program could be good if the employees could take a step back and look at it through the clients point of view.

Once while on a day trip to Santa Fe, I stopped at a roadside food cart for a bite and began chatting with the proprietress. She was a young lady, maybe in her mid 20s. When I told her I was from Taos, her face lit up and she said "I used to live in Taos at Dreamtree!" She went on to say that her experience there turned her life around. She proudly (and repeatedly) boasted "It's because of Dreamtree, that I own my own home." She said she was the only one of her peer group who could say that. She told me that Dreamtree takes in messed up young adults, at no cost, and helps them get their lives together. If they need a GED, that's where the focus is; if they need to get into college, they help with that. Residents are required to work and give a portion of their earnings to the staff for safe keeping. (I think she said they hand over 1/3 of their pay but I'm not sure). The woman went on to say that when she "graduated" from Dreamtree and was ready to head out on her own, they gave her $20,000--the money they had banked for her from her pay for all that time. That is the money the woman used to purchase her own mobile home. This conversation happened about 3 years ago.

About 2 years ago, I met another young woman, a friend of my daughter's, who was also an alumnus of Dreamtree. This young lady had been a homeless, heroin addict with a history of criminal offenses that still embarrass her. Out of desperation, she left Albuquerque to get help from Dreamtree in Taos. Currently, this woman is in her final year of college, about to be a social worker. She is also vital part of her community as a frequent, reliable volunteer for projects and events.

As a social worker myself who has worked with young people for most of my career, I know that any program or opportunity can only be as good as the participants want to make it. Apparently, as gauged by the previous review, not every adult who joins the program, makes the most of what it has to offer. Since it is a VOLUNTARY program for ADULTS only, the residents make their own choices. But clearly, the program offers a formula for success if that's what the individual truly wants.

This is a horribly dysfunctional, toxic organization. The staff had allowed every child in their care to become intoxicated. Another to run away. And did nothing! On another occasion they didn't even know the whereabouts of my daughter. I have heard several complaints since then (including that one teen became pregnant by another teen- both in their care), and wish I knew then, what I know now. I would advise anyone considering placement of their teen to run for the hills. My daughter would have been better off on the streets than in the care of this facility.

"But, again, anything a resident does at DreamTree is by his or her own choice."
“In New Mexico, the law says at age 14, you can make your own decisions,” Hummel [Executive Director] said. “You are treated as an adult, and we follow that.” http://www.taosnews.com/news/success_stories/article_6a06b416-4e40-11e4-b719-9b355cdb7532.html

Please if you are considering donating to this facility, DO NOT. DO NOT ENABLE THESE PEOPLE TO ENDANGER CHILDREN!!!