A kind letter from one of our volunteers…

At OTS we are very fortunate to have as one of our volunteers a retired sociology professor who helps us write grants. He recently went through all 400+ of our case files to compile placement demographics and statistics that we need for grant applications. We wanted to share this incredible feedback he had for the OTS team:

I finally got through all the 400+ cases and put this excel file together. It made me feel like a sociologist again trying to search out useful information from the documents used for carrying out the day-to-day operations of OTS. Speaking of operations, an overwhelming feeling that struck me across the cases was the dedication, knowledge, skill, discipline, and HEART that our tireless leadership show. OTS should be very proud of what they have done and are continuing to do. The dedication is so obvious in the spirit of coming back every day to try to help those who generally have so little luck in life and rarely find things going their way. In looking at cases, I saw the way that knowledge is offered, especially our financial counselors’, of how to navigate the housing system and the avenues to pursue to be able to manage on a typically very tight budget. Tremendous skill is shown in the way our folks interview and pin down essential details in order to know how to move forward. The intake process is a smooth-running machine, from my vantage point. A good part of this is the discipline to stick to a process that produces such great results…and insisting on the client following it as it will work for them in the end. Many bad outcomes are avoided by having that discipline. Last, there is the HEART of allowing a little extra money to go toward the deposit of someone so clearly both deserving and needing a break in life, overlooking the fact that a client lives in LA county, racing across OC to meet a client or deliver a security deposit, or encouraging a client to work later…when things change in their situation…with OTS so that we can provide them all the help we offer. Very impressive!!!
-John

Thanks John, we are so lucky to have you on the OTS Team!