Jake Leung
Philadelphia Intellectual disAbility Services (IDS) is pleased to announce the winner of the 20th Annual Points of Transformation Supports Coordination Award of Excellence.
Jake supports Roman who is active in his local community and seeking employment from OVR. Last year, Roman was going through a trying time, which greatly affected his mental health stability. He ended up seeking support from a psychiatric hospital but in his family’s opinion, it did not help, and he was released too quickly. Upon return, he got in disagreements with his family and left to live in a hotel. Upon leaving the hotel one day, he walked into a store and ended up getting into a verbal altercation that turned physical leading to his arrest.
When Jake found out he was incarcerated, he immediately knew he had to get involved. Jake coordinated several meetings with the facility to complete visits with Roman to figure out how to help him move forward and get released. He also set up meetings in the facility with Roman and his family and acted as a mediator to hash out issues that lead to his leaving. Jake worked with the Warden to make certain Roman received mental health support while there. He assisted with helping the public defender portray the argument that jail was the last place he should be. After many court appearances and communication with the team, Jake was able to get him released on house arrest.
While on house arrest, he has been active with mental health services and exploring hobbies to pass the time. Jake and Roman share the same interest in magic games, so Jake has helped him with access to the technology needed to secure some free games. He continues to support Roman with navigating the criminal justice system and if he successfully completes the house arrest with court established guidelines, they will remove this from his record. Roman is grateful for this opportunity because he wants to return to work full time without limitations.
Congratulations Jake on a job well-done!