A recent 'Color of Money' article reports that the average consumer is going to spend $900 these holidays. The author, Michelle Singletary, challenges you to look at your holiday spending in the context of your whole financial situation.
She asks, "If you don't have an emergency fund or if you're carrying credit card debt, how can you really justify spending anything this year? Why are you adding to that pile of stuff your kid has if you haven't put a penny away to help pay for college expenses?"
Tough questions, but she's right! Where are the priorities?
I know most of my own financial problems have resulted from me spending money that I shouldn't have because I felt that I was entitled. I deserved it. I needed it. Cable, the gym membership, going away to college, expensive dates... oh, what a waste!
It's like you forget who you are and start spending like the person you want to be. My ideal self is able to do all these things. Doesn't everyone else I know do these things? Look at all these shoppers at the mall, all my friends are going out, 'who doesn't have cable?!' et cetera.
So to escape credit card regret and the New Year blues I recommend striving to save like you're rich, not spending like it.
Last week I went off on a rant about the sorry state of affairs in Fairfax County's Mental Health system. Imagine the frustration when you have a client who is near suicidal and they have to wait six months for an appointment.
Well, this Sunday's Washington Post has some (sort of) good news... Aid to the Poor Improving, but Caseloads Still High. They say that the wait list has been eliminated by new hires - filling vacancies, new positions and rehired retirees.
But, as the headline suggests, it's far from perfect. The Post explains that the county simply doesn't measure up to national standards,
"Those with non-emergency conditions will be seen within 16 days -- higher than the nationally accepted standard of two to 10 days, but an improvement from last June." and "Community Services Board clinicians each carry 40 to 58 patients, far above the national standard of 25."
Obviously this is going to make the services suffer. Plus, I suspect, that it will be very difficult to hold onto the therapists they do have with such high caseloads. We could be back to where we started in a few months.
I wonder if this is simply a symptom of the population explosion in the county or if it's a sign of those in charge simply not making mental health services a priority?
Who to trust? Okay, so here's the deal. You really want to give to charity but you worry about a couple of things.
One, you're not sure whether you want to give to an organization that manages the money and gives it out to other organizations. You wonder how much are they taking off the top for administrative costs? So maybe you prefer to just give to a smaller organization directly.
But here's your second problem, who's worthy of your money? ...and who has the time to do the research?
Sunday's Washington Post has an article, Donating, With Care, which talks about this problem and a solution - the 4th Annual Washington area, Catalogue for Philanthropy.
Harman launched her catalogue after learning how hard it was for donors such as herself to find information about local charities. People can give through the catalogue, which passes the donation along to the designated organization, or they can give directly to the charity. ... A particularly popular catalogue feature is the "wish list." Each entry shows what an organization would do with contributions of $100, $500 or $1,000 -- amounts within the reach of many donors.
So check out our own page on the Catalogue for Philanthropy's website. Nice design. We're looking good.
November 15, 2006
Today we have a special posting by a guest blogger from the GSH staff - Kari Warren, Family Advocate, Co-founder of the Women's Group of Mount Vernon, Mother and all around great person. I asked her to talk about the special event sponsored by GSH on Saturday, October 28...
"The Women’s Group of Mt. Vernon recently celebrated it’s 2nd anniversary in a HUGE way! Our annual Women’s Day Conference, 'I Love Myself – I Know I’m Grand!' was jam-packed for a day of pampering, testimonials, inspirational singing, lunch and workshops. Besides free makeovers and massages (yes, massages!) we were treated to some powerful testimony by women who have endured unspeakable abuses.
First, there was the horrific yet inspirational speech from Yvette Cade. You may remember hearing last year about a woman whose husband came to her work, doused her with gasoline, and set her on fire. The audience was held captive as Yvette, who suffered burns over 65% of her body, told the story of seeing flesh drip from her body as she hung onto her inner strength to live, if only for the sake of her daughter. In describing her ordeal, she told of how she used her faith in God, humor, and utter determination to survive.
Directly on the heels of this incredibly dramatic story, came testimony from Mildred Mohammed. Mildred is the ex-wife of John Mohammed, now known as the infamous D.C. Sniper. The slow acceleration of her abuse was described in great detail…the the beginning of 'picking at her about doing everything wrong,' the isolation (both socially and financially), the threats and fear of him killing her, to the tragic 18-month separation from her children. After re-gaining her children, they fled to the east coast where John’s killing sprees had not only Mildred, but the entire metropolitan area, in fear and on constant guard. Like Yvette, Mildred held on to her faith to get her through and to become a survivor. She is a Muslim and emphatically states that domestic violence has no bounds; race, religion, economic status, education, etc. She hopes to inspire women to never forget the past, but move on to the future.
There was one more added treat to this conference. Yvette brought a friend she made last year. Fredia Edwards was also set on fire by her boyfriend shortly after Yvette Cade was released from the hospital. Yvette immediately went to her side and the two quickly became friends with a bond few women share. Edwards has joined Yvette in their mission to 'keep women loving, and don’t let them get bitter.'
As co-chair of this event, I was exhausted with the mechanics and logistics of hosting over 130 women. However, despite all the worrisome details of the day, I went home with an incredibly uplifted spirit. When I laid my head on my pillow that night, I was one happy lady!"
The anthem / soundtrack to that day, Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful", courtesy of YouTube.
November 10, 2006
Working in shelters and such, I've worked with a lot of different kinds of people. When it comes to your co-workers you almost always err on the side of caution. You know that they'll be here for awhile and you just might need their help down the road. So play nice.
Clients, on the other hand, can provoke all sorts of feelings and behavior that might surprise you. Similar to the for-profit/business world, your clients don't have to please nobody. They can tell you exactly what they think and you have to accept it. There's no arguing with the customer, right?
Well, in social services you try to treat your clients with the same level of respect. However, if you're not careful, it's very easy to come off as rather conceited. I mean, you believe you have so much to teach your clients and change in them. Of course, the real epiphany comes when you realize that you're going to learn just as much from your clients.
I bring this up because of this article in the Washington Post this morning about a DC-area homeless man's perspective on Tuesday's election. It's very tempting to quickly dismiss his opinions with a simple comment, 'That's wrong.' or 'He's crazy.'
The truth is that he's expressing a reality that is much more common than you would think. Hopelessness, anger, free-floating negativity, or outright apathy... I guess the only question left for those of us who care is, "Why?"
November 8, 2006
As a Social Worker you won't be surprised to find out that I'm a supporter of therapy. I've told all of my friends and clients that they should try it at least once. Of course, most people have neither the money or the desire to open up that can of worms.
But for some people mental health services is a necessity.
If you've ever known anyone with a serious mental illness, like clinical depression or schizophrenia, you know it can be as debilitating as any physical disease. Sadly, sometimes this disease can make people a danger to themselves and those around them.
In cases like that there is what's called, an involuntary committal. It's essentially a temporary detention where a professional is available to provide crisis intervention and assess a person's mental health. Well, according to this article in the Washington Post on Monday, Psychologist Shortage Puts Mentally Ill Out on Street, "Nineteen people held involuntarily on temporary orders have been released from hospitals since mid-October."
This is a serious problem.
People in need of help are being turned away. It is a danger to the community at large. I know that for many of my clients there is a wait list of 6 months or more before they can even be connected to a psychiatrist. It's unreasonable.
While upfront mental health care is costly, do you think we are paying more or less in the end when they end up in our prisons, shelters and emergency rooms?
As they say, 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.'
November 3, 2006
WE YP.R.S. A BIG "Thank You" goes out to PRS, Inc. for their tireless help with our endless fundraising mailings.
Formerly Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, PRS, Inc. proves that with the right support people with severe mental illnesses can recover to lead strong and productive lives.
Their staff and clients have taken on massive mailing projects; stuffing envelopes, tying bows and generally making sure our letters get out on time.
Their work has helped GSH save so many precious hours and dollars!
Thank you!
November 1, 2006
By the way, I was wondering...
We've covered a wide variety of topics over the first few months of this blog. Housing and homelessness, personal finance and politics, even internal agency goings-on. We're searching for our audience and would like to hear from you.
So my question is, 'What would you like to see? '
What keeps you interested and returning to your favorite blogs?
Is there anything you would you like to know about Good Shepherd Housing?
Please take a moment and let us know what you think. Your comments will give this blog shape in the days to come.
Try it and see!
Welcome to the GSH Blog
Welcome to the Good Shepherd blog! We have launched into the Blogosphere! This text can be anything you want.
High on Life
