Housing counselors often see people at the best of times – on the verge of fulfilling a dream – but also see people at their most vulnerable times and everywhere in between.
“It’s taxing work,” says Ann DiPetta, who has worked in the affordable housing and community development field for over 20 years. “It’s demanding. It can be emotionally difficult. And it’s important to take care of yourself so you don’t burn out.”
DiPetta will be teaching a free course to help housing counselors manage their self-care and find other stress solutions as part of the NeighborWorks Summer of Learning, a training series offered June (National Homeownership Month) through July.
Kate de la Garza, executive director of Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, knows just how much stress their staff is under. When de la Garza first started leading the organization, they began by pledging to meet, talk with and understand every staff member. To better understand the full organization, it was important to understand what people are facing every day.
“We put people at the center of everything we do,” de la Garza says. “What we tell the staff is that we can’t take of care of anyone else if we’re not taking care of ourselves and each other.”
That’s been part of DiPetta’s philosophy from the start.
‘It’s important to take care of yourself so you can continue to do the work you’re motivated to do,” she says.
But often, we don’t take care of ourselves as we should. “One of the downsides of technology is that we can work anywhere anytime, and so we do,” DiPetta says. “People eat lunch on the run. They take calls after hours and on weekends.”
In May, when DiPetta taught a similar self-care class for the NeighborWorks Virtual Training Institute, participants from the affordable housing and community development industry brainstormed ways to give themselves a chance to restore their energy and take care of themselves during the workday. “Some people in our group said they set a timer to remind themselves to turn off their computer. Or they take a five-minute “breath break” every two hours to just focus on breathing.”
Others talked about the importance of camaraderie during tough times and the importance of taking a restorative break. “Your weekend should be your weekend – or at least some component of your weekend should be your weekend.”
DiPetta says there are many ideas out there about self-care – we’ve all heard them -- it’s putting them into practice that can be the hard part. People in affordable housing “are dedicated, caring people, and they tend to be working all the time.” The jobs are demanding. Funds are low, the need is high, and the to-do list is long.
“NeighborWorks acknowledges that,” she says. This class is one way of responding to the need.
Learn more about NeighborWorks’ Summer of Learning series, inlcuding this free offering. . DiPetta’s course, Frontlines of Housing: Solutions for Counselors, will be offered June 25 at 12 p.m. ET.
