Over the last 5 years Chester Community Coalition grew fast. Our growth was responsive to the needs we were hearing from our clients and community. It was also reactive. Done hurriedly with immediate service in mind, it still felt like we were working to hold back a flood with too few sandbags.
That growth has provided us with fantastic staff who are dedicated and competent.
It also issues an invitation we cannot refuse. It is an invitation to pause, to look inward, and to build structure to support the sustainability of our work.
Over the last few months, we have been looking at our trauma-informed practices internally. How are we doing at setting reasonable expectations for our staff? How are we doing at providing a clear scope for our work? How are we doing at delivering what we promise?
Some of what we've learned has been bracing. There is definitely room for improvement. We have been investing in developing internal systems for quality control, so that we are delivering consistently effective care. That includes strengthening our data collection and management, fine-tuning our standard operating procedures, and revisiting our mission, vision, and values.
As a small organization, it can feel worrying to slow down for this kind of work. It is not necessarily the kind of work that wins community applause or generates excitement for donors. However, we find it necessary in order to survive.
We must pause to provide staff who are from the community and/or survivors of gun violence with intentional support for their health and well-being. We must assess to ensure the demands for each individual are reasonable and manageable. And we must, as a trauma-informed organization, pay our team a living wage for the incredible work that they do. Having grown with this organization, I know all too well the heart and passion that drive this work, which causes us to push past our need for rest and recovery. The organization must help to hold that boundary.
We truly believe that everyone has a right to good, quality, mental health care and to compassionate, respectful social services. We know that recovering from the trauma of gun violence stops future gun violence. We know that supporting people early in their experience of gun violence prevents reactive gun violence. We know that building cross-sector collaboration and transparency creates more effective gun violence prevention and intervention. And for the people we have served and the community partners we have worked with, we know that we make a difference.
Change is hard and takes time. Knowing that the work we do is needed and has value provides the fuel to keep going through the changes.
We need your support while we do this work. Keep us going and keep going with us, because we'll all be better on the other side.
