Borasky, Navigating Policy and Practice in the Great Recession Student Resources

Social workers who lead agencies must balance the needs of clients with all the responsibilities of their position. The challenges faced include acquiring resources to serve clients, being fair employers for staff, handling issues related to the board of directors, responding to community economic need, and creating for themselves a sustainable work- life balance, among other things.

The realities of such challenges are not easily communicated in typical textbooks. That is why Navigating Policy and Practice in the Great Recession is different (and much needed). This book is a sequel to Caught in the Storm: Navigating Policy and Practice in the Welfare Reform Era (2010). In this book, readers return to the story of Helping Hands, a non- profit agency set in the fictional town of River City. Covering a period of seven years during and immediately after the Great Recession, the story is told from the viewpoint of Martha White, the dedicated executive director who tirelessly strives to keep the agency open and serve a growing number of destitute clients. Martha is assisted by an able staff of full- time employees and interns and others we meet as the book progresses.

The narrative begins in September 2007 with Chapter 1, “A New Beginning.” The board of directors is convening, and three new members are attending their first meeting. A successful program evaluation report is on the agenda, as are topics such as government funding for faith- based organizations and the board’s upcoming evaluation of Martha. On the way home, Martha gets her first glimpse into the housing crisis of that time, when neighbors fall months behind on their home payments and are forced to move.

“A New Beginning” is accompanied by learning objectives and lists of abbreviations, characters, and key terms.