The case management room is truly the heartbeat of the long term recovery and every once in awhile a bit of pure fun enters the room!! After all -- we have all become family and families are all about fun!
Our morning began bright and early with our weekly case management meeting. We had quite a few guest speakers, one with Work Force Development explaining their end of helping with flood recovery. Two more were there with "listening" offers --- this time for case managers!
While we were in the south we worked hand in hand with an organization called Project Recovery. They were a government based group of trained counselors who hit the streets, on foot, checking door to door to see how residents were doing. When they ran across a construction problem they would call us and vice versa. Here we are blessed to have the same program -- Project Aftermath! This time they have offered their services to the case managers. They realize the toll this type of work can take. Most case managers will tell me they "eat, sleep and breathe" this work --- and although they love it they do get stressed and tired and forget to take care of themselves. Even though I repeatedly tell them to take time for themselves (the pot calling the kettle black) it's something difficult to do. Having these counselors right in the room with the managers is fantastic. One of the managers was facing a very difficult situation just today and one of the counselors was right there -- just in time!
We also had our share of resource updates and general weekly updates with the program. Everyone is preparing for some incoming volunteers, planning their accomodations and planning the work they will be doing while here. This weekend there is a large team of Baptists coming and we already have the work lined up for them. They will be going into one of the local mobile home parks that was flooded. There they will be removing the underneath insulation, replacing it with new and also placing new skirting all around the trailer. Our construction coordinator will oversee the insulation process and Monty will take on the skirting. He has years of experience in this and it will be put to good use!
We also started our presentation of cases with un-met needs today. These are clients who have exhausted every other resource and still have needs that need met in order for their repairing to be complete. Those cases are studied in depth and all managers agree and vote on their situation. From there the manager will head to the resource table where materials will be acquired and volunteers will be sent. This is what gets the job done!
After meeting with case managers with questions on cases it was time for another meeting. This meeting is combining the work of the case management, construction, volunteer management and housing. Each of these committees work separately but yet together. It's critical for all of us to understand the work and needs of each other. This seems to be where the most work gets done! To some it may seem like all we do is go from meeting to meeting but without this behind the scenes planning the on the scenes work could not get done! It's like the foundation of a home!
A few more meetings with case managers, phone conferences and before I realized it the day was long gone! Where the hours go is beyond me! But it was a great day of moving forward, alot being accomplished and more people being helped!
Someone asked me the other day what the mission statement for case management was--- my answer was 3 words; "Help the People". Short and sweet and to the point. Whatever it takes -- case management is dedicated to getting it done! Thanks team -- you are the greatest!
Until next time . . . Susan and Monty
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