Sendejas put his hand in the air to help locals find homes

This story is the first in a three-part series on the Bridges to Health program, its staff, clients, and role in the community, specifically during Covid-19.

Josh Sendejas uses his natural gift for helping other people and making them feel heard at Mid Columbia Housing Authority.

By Judy Bankman

In 2013, Josh Sendejas was recruited by the Mid Columbia Housing Authority (MCHA) in The Dalles to work at the front desk. He was in a JOBS Plus class at the time, and one of the instructors asked if anyone in the room spoke Spanish, which was required for the job.

“I looked around the room and I didn’t see anybody raising their hand,” said Josh, and then his hand went up. Josh got the job as a volunteer for a month, and then his position turned into a paid six-month contract. After that time, he became a full-time staff member. Josh has been working at MCHA since then, and in 2018, he became a Community Health Worker (CHW) with the Bridges to Health program. As a CHW, he supports clients struggling to access resources on their own, from health care to food and housing.

Josh has a natural gift for helping other people and making them feel heard. When he worked at the front desk at MCHA, people from the community would come into the office just to talk to him. In his current role, Josh has the opportunity every day to share his gifts with his clients.

“Amongst his CHW peers, he is regarded with the utmost respect,” said Suzanne Cross, program manager of Bridges to Health. “When Josh speaks, people listen.”

Funded by the Columbia Gorge Health Council and PacificSource Community Solutions, Bridges to Health has been helping clients access resources inside and outside the health care system since 2017. All Community Health Workers (CHWs) within the Bridges to Health Team are employed by local nonprofits and government agencies such as the Mid-Columbia Housing Authority, which contracts with the Columbia Gorge Health Council. CHWs are trusted members of the community who help clients with anything from getting a doctor’s appointment to affordable housing or a pool pass. Many CHWs, including Josh, have lived experience that helps them show their clients there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

Here is the collaborative network of programs and health care providers making up Bridges to Health Pathways.

In 2019, Josh supported a client in his 70’s who had been living out of his truck for ten years. Over the course of eight months, Josh collaborated with this client’s health care providers, helped him pay housing application fees, and assisted him with the necessary paperwork. Now, this client has a two-bedroom apartment with enough space for work out equipment to help him manage his diabetes and within walking distance from his doctor’s office. This client has an affordable place to call home due to Josh’s support and the ongoing financial assistance from the Mid-Columbia Housing Authority, which makes rent payments directly to the landlord on the client’s behalf through the Housing Choice Voucher program. 

Recently Josh helped a couple, Theresa and Jeff, to find an apartment with enough space for a vegetable garden and their five pets. Because of the collaborative nature of Bridges to Health, along with Josh’s can-do attitude, Josh also helped get furniture, gas vouchers, and food baskets when Theresa and Jeff needed them.

“He did anything and everything that was within his power to help us,” said Theresa. “Getting me a phone, helping me get a lawyer, suggesting a lawyer for my disability case who I did hire. I just can’t say enough about how he cares. We appreciate him.”

Josh’s experiences as a young person shaped him and helped him understand what his clients are going through. Josh grew up in and out of the foster care system and adoption agencies from ages 9 through 16. He struggled in school and missed his mom when he was away from her. As a teenager, Josh was homeless for several years and did what he could to eat and stay warm.

“These things have definitely made me stronger today. I’m more steadfast and as a result of things I went through, I’m able to have more empathy and sympathize with others.”

Mid Columbia Housing Authority is at 500 E. Second Street downtown TD. Folks here can help in assisting people into homes or finding ways of paying utilities.

Josh has had several mentors and teachers over the years who encouraged him and helped him stay motivated. David, one of his high school teachers, pushed him to get his diploma. Mary, the instructor of his JOBS Plus class, texted him constantly to help keep him focused on his goals. Josh’s aunt, Rhoda, took him in when he was 23 and going through a difficult time. She has given him constant love and support and continues to be a part of his life.

"Growing up I constantly struggled with, ‘I’m not good enough’, 'I can’t do this’, or ‘I’m never gonna make it’.” Battling with those voices, it was really nice to have people encouraging me, letting me know that I am of worth and I’m doing great,” remembers Josh.

Josh’s wife, Sarah, and his daughters Jema and Maya are also sources of joy and inspiration in his life.

Nowadays, most of Josh’s work is focused on responding to Covid-19. Bridges to Health recently launched the Covid-19 Response Program, which supports clients in isolation or quarantine. With funding from the Oregon Health Authority, PacificSource, Columbia Gorge Health Council and Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital, CHWs respond to clients’ needs for food, PPE, housing, utilities and even activities for kids. Josh recently helped a client who had lost income due to the pandemic with a mortgage payment. (That resource was available for a temporary amount of time through the Oregon Health Authority. Unfortunately, however, as of the start of 2021, that funding is now very limited).

“If a family doesn’t have vacation or sick time, it’s hard to take 14 days off and support yourself,” said Josh.

For Josh, the most important characteristics of CHWs are resiliency, resourcefulness, and the ability to motivate and to listen. According to his colleagues and clients, Josh embodies all of these traits and more.

“I remember in that [JOBS Plus] classroom, the kid that I was, I had my hat flipped all the way back,” said Josh with a laugh. “Looking back on that, it’s funny how things have [progressed] ‘til this point.”