Anisha, a social worker at Care for the Homeless, is constantly amazed by her clients, the homeless who live on the street. “They’re so resourceful,” she says. “Once I asked one of my clients how he stayed warm. He explained the layers of newspaper, cardboard and sleeping bags.”

Anisha has been with Care for the Homeless for more than five years, and working with the street homeless is her passion. She holds her “office hours” at soup kitchens in Manhattan. Her clients, who are mostly male, come to her for a quick fix – say an ID card – or ongoing support, like finding a place to live. Her goal is to create whatever stability is possible.

“The street homeless are a vulnerable population but they have a lot of strengths and survival skills. They just need one person to say, ‘You’ve been through a lot, but you’re still here.’”

Success is a second or third request for help because that means she’s established trust. Like Fabian, for example. When they first met, he was psychotic, off his meds and on the street. Now he is housed, sees a psychiatrist, is taking medication and working through his anger issues.

Anisha became a social worker to help others, but she’s quick to say that her clients have helped her learn and grow as much, if not more. “I enjoy what I do and I do it well.”