LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.”
― John F. Kennedy

There’s no question that COVID-19 is bringing hardship and loss to too many families and communities, here in the U.S. and around the world. It is also spurring changes in the ways that organizations get their work done. (It shouldn’t surprise anyone that dogs make great co-workers.)

At Fort Worth Housing Solutions, we are adapting to stay-at-home orders in ways that are likely to have lasting impact. We exist to provide housing solutions where people flourish and we can do that without sacrificing anyone’s health and safety.

To accomplish this, we are implementing procedures and technologies that will last well beyond the pandemic. To replace in-person voucher briefings, we are developing an interactive, online orientation that our clients can complete when it’s convenient for them. Many of our employees are teleworking at least part-time are productive even with children in the next room. We’ve learned that WebEx works wonderfully when staff cannot meet face-to-face; in fact, our Board of Commissioners used WebEx for its April public meeting. We were already on the road to becoming paperless with a new document imaging system and the crisis is speeding up this transition.

We are grateful as an organization to have stable funding that will enable us to survive this unprecedented challenge and continue to serve our community.

Wishing you the best of health,

Mary-Margaret Lemons