Family Selection Committee

Tonight I attended my first meeting of the Family Selection Committee for Habitat for Humanity. We vote on which applications to approve for families to get houses, and sign up to visit current homes to determine if their housing is substandard. I was by far the youngest person in attendance, but they were really welcoming and good-natured about the whole process. The committee members actually made two hours of discussing families' personal finances and "need for shelter" fun!

I'm hopeful that attending these meetings will help me to get a better idea of what makes a nonprofit work. The YWCA Family Center is a unique nonprofit and that, as a homeless shelter, we really have no way of recouping our expenses, so we rely entirely on donations. This means that most of the employees do not have social work degrees, many are AmeriCorps members (which means we have no experience), and those who are paid are mostly hourly, not salaried. The budget issues make it extra hard for things to run smoothly.

Habitat, on the other hand, actually collects mortgages on their homes. What makes them different from banks is that the mortgage loans are zero interest, and we work a lot more with families if they fall behind, so foreclosure really only happens when they refuse to cooperate or communicate at all. The ReStore also provides enough income to build one house a year, and the all-volunteer labor force makes them a lot more affordable. Seeing both organizations up close is teaching me a lot about the nonprofit world!

On a different note, has anyone else noticed how beautiful is outside? Every time I drive to my school sites, I'm sure I'm a hazard on the road, because I just can't stop looking at the trees. It's as if someone tossed bright paints on to the branches of trees, and the leaves literally glow at sunset. Has autumn always been this beautiful? Ever since I got properly medicated and can stay awake/standing with ease, I notice a lot more beauty in the world. Before, I was so focused on just trudging through my day, that I honestly don't remember any season being as wonderful as all the seasons this year have been.