NON-PROFIT CENTRAL FLORIDA
A GUIDE TO NON-PROFITS WITH MISSIONS RELATED TO POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS
Seneka Arrington
COMMUNITY FOOD AND OUTREACH CENTER
EDUCATION COORDINATOR
What is your educational background?
I have a Bachelor's degree in English from Bethune-Cookman and a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Stetson University.
What are your duties?
I coordinate all life skills classes in the Life Enrichment Center. There are 5 classes a day and in order to get a bag of food, one must take a class. The classes deal with things such as health and wellness, time management, and stress/anger management.
How did you end up at the Community Food and Outreach Center?
As a therapist I saw this population often. I do at-home therapy and many of my clients live in poverty. I always liked to assess the needs of people and help them find resources, so this was not very different from what I used to do.
Do you have to prove that you are low income or homeless to come here?
Yes, you can show proof of income by food stamps, disability, or social security.
Do you have advice for being successful?
Compassion because you must understand people that come through those doors feel helpless and hopeless. Also, empathy is important because you do not want to sympathize, but you want to put yourself in their shoes. However, you do not want to engage in a pity party. Finally, boundary setting is very important because you must teach this population how to have structure and abide by the rules. Therefore, we come up with deadlines in their care plan.
How much writing do you do?
I assist in writing grants and work with the regional director. However, student interns assist in the grant writing. So, having a background in grant writing is very helpful when trying to get a job or internship in the non-profit field.
What is your best memory while working for the Community Food and Outreach Center?
My best memory is when I helped a man who wanted a bag of food and thought it would be too much to get clothes and shoes as well. We engaged in case management and he was very excited. After, he was crying because we told him that he was allowed to get the shoes. These are things we take for granted and this man was so excited about a used pair of shoes.