Page 19 - LTHC Publics Catalog, Spring 2018 Update

EMPLOYEES

Overview

In the Fall of 2017, students from COM 495: PR for Social Change in the Lamb School of Communication
at Purdue University conducted interviews with LTHC employees in order to better understand the staff as
a mission-critical internal public of LTHC. Each of the employees who were interviewed fall into one of three
categories: former guests who are now employees, staff members who were not formerly guests, and the Board of
Directors. All of the employees who were interviewed were familiar with the LTHC Homeless Services mission, and
many communicated that it is the mission that motivates them to continue giving their best work to LTHC. There
were some of the employees who have been with LTHC for more than 13 years, while others have only recently start-
ed working for LTHC.

Employees who are former guests continued chose to work with LTHC to provide services that they felt
fortunate to receive at some point. “It’s nice to have staff that understand their guests,” said one employee who
was a former client. One overarching theme for former guests was that they feel LTHC’s services are under promoted
and they want to help spread the word about what LTHC is doing to combat homelessness.

Members of the Board of Directors discussed what they had witnessed from LTHC during their time with
the organization (as long as 19 years in some cases) and what they hoped to see in the future. The Board of
Directors does not work directly with the guests but provides leadership regarding how LTHC funds are used and
then works to create the best atmosphere for guests. Members of the Board believe in LTHC’s mission and are driven
by their passion to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Employees who work directly with guests perceive that they have a tremendous impact on the people LTHC
serves. “What we do matters. It changes the lives of people. It is not just a job where we are working for a paycheck
every week. We are working for the lives of the people we serve. It matters,” said one LTHC employee. These employ-
ees range from case managers to housing specialists and a wide variety of directors who work to keep LTHC moving
forward and provide their best for current and future clients.

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