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Introducing our Program Director
April 29, 2011
By: Tracy Mancini
Introducing Genesis Home's Program Director
Claire Denning joined Genesis Home as the director of programming on August 31, 2010. Her work has been focused on housing and homelessness since the late 1980s, and previously she served as the assistant director of social services programming at Convent Avenue Family Living Center in Harlem and supportive housing program manager for Wake County. Denning is optimistic about Genesis Home’s programs: “When you give people the tools they need, they can be successful at attaining and maintaining housing.”
Q: What are some of the tools people need to succeed?
Denning: Like many of us, homeless people often need to brush up on budgeting, being able to defer a purchase until they can pay for it, communicating and advocating for themselves in difficult situations, parenting, stress management, and being a reliable employee with a strong work ethic.
Q: What do you think are the strengths of Genesis Home’s program?
Denning: The flexibility, knowledge, and dedication of Genesis Home’s staff are a real strength. There is not a lot of turnover in staff, and the relationships they build with residents go a long way to promoting stability and growth. The executive director has a clear and positive vision of the organization, and he leads effectively. Of course, the ongoing volunteer efforts of groups such as The Links, the Duke School of Nursing, and individuals and churches that bring meals and tutor make Genesis Home’s programs work. Having a full-time volunteer coordinator helps target the efforts of these generous people.
Q: What would you want funders and contributors to know about Genesis Home?
Denning: I would want to highlight the fact that Genesis Home’s staff and board are careful stewards of their money and time. We put as much into housing and services as we can to ensure that what we receive actually goes to the residents. The social workers at Genesis Home are mindful that the records and data we keep reflect all that goes on; we document everything so we can measure and show donors their investments are resulting in high quality services.
Q: What kind of steps are you taking to ensure that quality?
Denning: One example is the Memorandum of Understanding Genesis Home just signed with the Department of Social Work at North Carolina State University. For a period of six month beginning this spring, three professors at NCSU will talk with our families, conduct focus groups with residents and staff, review our documentation and existing curriculum, and make recommendations based on the best practices of other agencies to allow us to continue improving our program. Such an evaluation, conducted by an unbiased academic institution, will provide credibility and help us communicate to our funders that we are providing the best possible service. More importantly, the study should help empower our resident families by giving them access to more and better tools. Staff members also stand to benefit from the leadership and professional development that will come out of the process.
We are also working with three students from Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy to review and revise the rules and guidelines for our resident families. We want the rules to empower the residents and promote self-actualization, not just be punitive.
Q: What are your goals for Genesis Home’s program side?
Denning: I like to think about sending our families out as “new and improved.” Genesis Home has all the pieces in place to continue making that a reality.
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