Carol's Message
Dear Friends,
With the celebration of Mother's Day and Father's Day this spring, I've been reflecting on the significance of family values. As children we look to our parents for guidance and nurturing. As adults, we build upon this foundation using the tools our parents gave us in hopes that we'd have a better life than they had themselves. They hope we'll have better educations, better jobs and better housing, and that we'll take the next step toward building a better future for the next generation.
Of course sometimes "taking the next step" can be a little scary ... primarily because it means you'll have to step outside the comfort of what's known and familiar. I think the most difficult part of change is knowing you're going to lose something without being able to completely predict what you'll be left with in the end.
As anyone who's watched the progress of Cook Inlet Housing over the past five years must already know, I'm a strong advocate for change. That said I recently stood in the office of my executive assistant, Tia, commenting that I couldn't remember any staff phone numbers since we'd switched to a new phone system and a whole new series of numbers. Tia was, as always, very solutions oriented, printing out a staff list that I could reference, but as I stood there feeling somewhat grumpy about the whole thing I realized it was really pretty funny: I clearly much prefer directing change than experiencing it myself.
Borrowing a quote from British theologian Richard Hooker (1554-1600), "Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better." In order to gain anything, to make any progress, you must be able to look forward, recognize the potential good and overcome the fear of change. We've all come to know that change is inevitable, but by embracing the change -- rather than resisting -- we can help direct the final outcome and take the opportunity to be part of creating positive solutions.
For years, Cook Inlet Housing and other affordable housing providers throughout the country built houses that embodied the attitudes of the times concerning housing for low income families. These homes lacked imagination and often practicality, as the same houses that were being built in Arizona were also being built in Alaska ... Clearly these homes lacked cultural and geographic relevance.
Cook Inlet Housing (CIHA) recognized that because we had an interest in overcoming the stigmas attached to affordable housing and the people who live in those houses, our organization needed a strategic shift in direction; we needed to embrace change and growth like never before. We needed to get creative -- even entrepreneurial -- and not be content to take the easy road but instead find new ways of delivering affordable housing that will serve the needs of our families and community now and into the future.
I especially applaud our Board of Commissioners for their wisdom and confidence. They know that change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown. They also know that change is necessary and critical to our community and those who rely on us to provide decent and affordable housing.
My philosophy: If you risk nothing, then you risk everything.
In the past five years, CIHA has been committed to self-directed change with the intention of insuring that the organization remains a viable housing entity in the face of changes that are out of our control. The changes have taken place on many levels, some more visible than others. As an organization, CIHA has become a community partner, working closely with other affordable housing agencies improving the face of some of our older neighborhoods and advocating for better funding and better housing solutions. I’m personally very proud of CIHA's accomplishments ... I also know there's much more to be done.
CIHA, like many not-for-profit organizations, relies heavily on grant funding sources to spearhead innovative and creative housing. But in the face of dwindling federal and private resources, CIHA has recognized it cannot rely on these few resources as an answer to all our housing problems ... So, we're at a crossroads ... All organizations that rely on government funding and even private donations are really, to varying degrees, at a similar crossroads. If we want better solutions for our community, we must explore new opportunities and embrace new and creative ideas. Most importantly, we must work together in these efforts.
So I've come full circle back to family values. Within our families, the sharing of resources is natural and vital. In Alaska Native villages the same is true on a grander level: people fishing, hunting, collecting berries and sharing with their neighbors. The subsistence lifestyle requires strong partnership. We must learn from these values, take these same principles and apply them to our attempts to help families in need in our community. There is strength in our collective effort.
The collective effort must be united at all levels: local, regional, state and federal. We must be willing to listen, participate, compromise and explore new ways of doing things. The stakes are high, and we cannot possibly win unless we are united in our efforts. We all bring different strengths and expertise to the table. Let's find ways to capitalize on those strengths, minimize redundancy of efforts and work together to lay a foundation for our community that will preserve and perpetuate strong families.
I hope you take the time to read the story on Brother Francis Shelter that appears in this issue of the newsletter. I think you'll see there a good example of the kind of creative partnership I'm advocating for ... We can all do more and better when we combine our strengths for common goals.
Carol