I like to recognize holidays by doing things like reading the Constitution on the 4th of July (I read the Declaration of Independence too, but the Constitution is more fun and results in more raucous discussion). On Thanksgiving, I usually generate a relatively random list of things I’m thankful for.

So here is this year’s list of things, great and small:

• A job
• A job I love
• A job I love that includes a blog
• Good friends
• Music
• Books
• Poetry
• Family
• Homemade gravy
• Potato sausage
• Good bread
• Coffee
• Surly Furious
• Wool socks
• Flannel sheets
• Calculators
• Radicals
• Conservatives
• Samosas
• State parks
• My snug little house
• (On a bus line)
• Independent bookstores
• Good graphic designers (who make fun graphics)
• Trees
• The song of the wood thrush
• Good neighbors
• Home mail delivery
• Minnehaha Parkway
• Cows
• The bog in Bemidji
• New bookshelves

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with food, family, laughter, and friends!

Lauren Segal, president and CEO of Greater Twin Cities United Way, is leaving us at the end of this month for greener pastures. She kindly agreed to answer a few questions as she’s wrapping things up:

• What are you most proud of having accomplished while you were at United Way?

Lauren: There are two things that come to mind. The first is the combination of the Minneapolis and St. Paul United Ways in 2001.  No one expected it, no one thought it would happen or could happen—and we did it!  It was great fun to build a whole new organization.

The second accomplishment, without a doubt, is the development of the Agenda for Lasting Change and our focus on people at or near the poverty line.  The focus on issues that people hear and know about, and showing measurable impact on a community scale, is incredibly rewarding.

•  What will you miss most about your job?  

Lauren: The opportunity to work with the dedicated staff and volunteers to build pathways out of poverty.

•  What will you miss the least?

Lauren: This position required me to be in many different places, often at the same time!  It was not unusual for me to start my day at 7:30 a.m., and, because of community events, be out until 9:00 or 10:00 at night.  Not to mention emails, reading, etc. relegated to the weekends.  I am looking forward to spending more quality time with my husband.

•  What is/was your favorite moment at United Way?

Lauren: There were too many to name just one!  Most of them were times when I had the opportunity to work with volunteers packing food at food shelves, building a Habitat house with the future residents, or reading to children, or to witness the success of a program or initiative we had started. 

•  What was your funniest moment at United Way?

Lauren: Let’s see—it’s between wearing pajamas and singing “I’m a Little Teapot” with the senior leadership team for the internal campaign, or dancing the evening—and early morning hours—away at our staff holiday party. 

• What are you most looking forward to in the next phase of your life?

Lauren: Climbing a new mountain—finding new ways to help volunteers, staff, and organizations transform themselves to meet future challenges.  And as I said before, having a little more balance in my life, so I can spend time with my husband, Rich, take up a hobby, spend time with friends, and volunteer.

Thank you Lauren, for your many years of service and dedication to United Way. We will miss you!

The new unemployment numbers took a lot of people, including me, by surprise: Unemployment rose from 9.8% in September to 10.2% in October. It isn’t the increase that surprised me—all the economists have been saying the unemployment rate is going to continue its climb, even though the recession itself is likely over. Rather, it was the size of the increase. I had just finished my October State of the Economy the previous week, which included unemployment projections of 10% by December and a peak of 10.2% in February.

So I wonder if it’s peaking early, or if it’s going to peak a lot higher than has been forecast. Some of the more pessimistic economists (okay, one economist in this Wall Street Journal survey) are predicting 11% in June. Ten percent don’t think the unemployment rate will peak until the second half of 2010. Or later.

Unemployment has increased for virtually all demographic groups, but not all demographic groups are equally affected. Wondering who’s getting hit the hardest? Young people for sure. People of color more than whites. Men more than women. Want to know where you fit in the mix? Check out this interactive graphic developed by the New York Times—you can get unemployment rates by race, sex, age, and educational level—or any variation thereof. (I spent an embarrassing amount of time playing with the numbers: It’s grim and fascinating at the same time.)

There are also broader measures of unemployment (I’ve talked about this before). So if you include discouraged workers the unemployment rate goes up to 10.7%. And if you add in marginally attached and involuntary part-time workers, it goes up to 17.5%. That’s getting uncomfortably close to 1 in 5 workers.

Hunker down. The bumpy ride isn’t over yet….

Andrea Ferstan, our intrepid reporter impact manager in the area of homeless prevention, recently helped out with the Wilder Homeless Study count—interviewing people about the unfortunate circumstance they have found themselves in. (Every three years Wilder Research issues a report on homelessness in Minnesota, based on headcounts and interviews. This invaluable report gives us information about the causes, effects and circumstances surrounding homelessness, including specific subgroups such as youth, veterans, and older adults.) 

She was kind enough to answer a few questions about her experience.

LP: So what exactly did the evening entail? Where did you go? How many people did you talk to, did you work in pairs, and how long did it take? 

AF: I went to Mission Lodge, a transitional housing program in Plymouth. I arrived at 5:00 p.m.  There were eight of us available to interview residents, including Wilder staff who had been there since at least 1:00 p.m. Everyone serving as an interviewer for the study is asked to watch a training video, review the interviewing tool in advance, and conduct one practice interview. This training and preparation ultimately ensures the integrity and clarity of the data. Residents are encouraged to participate in the study and are paid $5 for their time upon completion of the interview. Each interview is done individually, one interviewee and one interviewer, taking approximately 30 minutes.

We were all at tables in the dining area. Mission Lodge staff encouraged residents to participate, noting that this information would help inform efforts to improve and expand housing and services for homeless people. Residents generally approached us if they were willing to participate. Due to the large number of interviewers and possibly the timing of our shift, I only had the opportunity to interview two individuals.

LP: How did it make you feel?

AF: I enjoyed the opportunity to hear directly from these individuals about their challenges and successes. What is always frustrating in these situations is the need to strictly follow the interview questions which can at times be challenging when someone may need or want to just share their story. Asking someone to share a great deal of personal information with you, a stranger, also feels a bit uncomfortable, even when one knows that this is for a worthwhile purpose. In the end, I just felt extremely grateful to those who took the time to open themselves up one more time with the hopes of creating more opportunities, and possibly a better system from which they and/or others can achieve and maintain greater housing stability.

LP: What surprised you?

I wouldn’t say anything surprised me, though I am continually amazed at the capacity of the human spirit to overcome seemingly insurmountable adversities, particularly when there are people and resources that can serve as a hand up.

LP: What were you hoping that you wouldn’t see that you did?

One father noted that while he had temporary housing, his son could not stay with him, something which we know results in unaccompanied homeless youth.

LP: Do you think you’ll do it again three years from now?

Absolutely.