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Early Steps
Aberdeen Neighborhood Housing Services started in 1981 when a group of Aberdeen residents, city leaders, and lenders first came together to create a grass roots organization dedicated to improving homes in two Aberdeen neighborhoods. These early founders affiliated the organization with the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (NRC), a national housing non-profit established by Congress. ANHS soon became one of NRC's local charter groups known as a NeighborWorks® Organizations (NWO). The Internal Revenue Service also granted ANHS non-profit tax status under the 501(3)(c) designation.
With grant money and technical assistance from NRC and the City of Aberdeen, the fledgling organization implemented its first housing rehabilitation and purchase programs. ANHS' major funding resource at that time was a Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) through the City of Aberdeen. Twenty-one years later and a growing net worth of over $3.6 million, Aberdeen Neighborhood Housing Services has matured into a successful, county-wide organization that provides a full-array of housing assistance programs.
Making Things Happen
The responsibility for directing ANHS lies with its Board of Directors. Consisting of 9 to 15 volunteers representing neighborhood residents, business and government, the ANHS Board of Directors' formal duties include setting financial and organizational policies, and entering into contracts. However, the role of many board members typically extends beyond this trust. Many individual board members often give large blocks of their personal time to individual projects and tasks. Over the years, the shared talents and expertise of board members made ANHS the successful community-based housing organization it is today.
The board uses the committee system to efficiently organize its work and effectively engage its members' talents. With the exception of the Executive Committee and the Loan Committee under limited circumstances, committees do not hold any power to make decisions on their own. Instead, their role is to study an issue and then forward their best recommendation to the entire board for a final decision.
Most of the committees have a mix of board and non-board members. Integrating members of the community within their committee structure is an effective way for ANHS to broaden community involvement with the organization. Committees also serve as a "testing ground" for future board members in addition to accessing a wide-range of skills from the community.
Altogether, there are eight committees with specifically delineated duties. These committees include:
The five Board Officers who serve on this committee meet under emergency situations when a full board meeting is not possible. The Executive Committee also acts as the "third level of appeal in personnel grievances and assists the Executive Director as a "sounding board".
This committee serves a vital role in promoting ANHS and building community support for housing and neighborhood projects. Their activities typically involve selecting, planning and implementing special projects.
The Contractor Review Committee establishes criteria for contractors bidding on construction contracts funded through the ANHS Revolving Loan Fund. In addition, the committee makes recommendations concerning the construction management process and resolves disputes between contractors and ANHS Construction Staff when relating to construction matters.
The primary duties of the Nominating Committee are maintaining a list of qualified people interested in serving on the Board of Directors and recommending a slate of candidates for board positions for election by the general membership at the Annual Membership Meeting. When necessary, the committee also recommends qualified candidates to the board for appointment to unexpired terms when vacancies occur between Annual Membership Meetings.
Loan Committee members have the important job of approving or disapproving loan applications. Once done, they must report their decisions to the board as a whole. The Loan Committee also provides overall policy guidance in lending matters and makes recommendations to the board on Loan Policies and Procedures when necessary.
The Business and Finance Committee has the overall responsibility for making recommendations to the board regarding the sound management of the organization's business activities and rental properties. Members do this by: serving as a liaison to the business and financial community; developing policies regarding rental maintenance and operations; preparing the annual budget and long-term capital improvement plans; developing and implementing fund raising plans; authorizing and reviewing grant proposals; and, overseeing accounting systems, investments, insurance, annual budget, equipment procurement, and office procedures and policies.
Members of the Personnel Committee provide general supervision over personnel policies and procedures. They also make recommendations to the board on matters relating to staff issues, such as salaries and benefits, development, recruitment, and retention. An additional duty of the committee is to evaluate the performance of the Executive Director. The chair of the Personnel Committee reviews with the Executive Director any grievance prior to the Executive Committee's review.
Implementing the direction set by the Board of Directors is the responsibility of the Executive Director. Assisting in those duties are eight full-time staff personnel working under the Executive Director's supervision. These staff positions are divided into three main program areas: accounting, construction/property management and housing/financial counseling. However, as with any small organization, the staff are often expected to do a wide-range of tasks that often blur these division lines. A current organizational chart is shown below.
Figure 1. ANHS Organizational Chart
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