Karen Rutz has worked for Heartland Alliance’s Family Self Sufficiency team for over 11 years. Dedicated to closing our city’s racial wealth gap, the program provides the opportunities necessary to help build wealth for individuals and families through financial education courses and personalized Individual financial coaching sessions.
For over a decade now, Karen has been helping individuals and families from across Chicago’s south and west sides find work, learn to save, and even become homeowners and business owners. A social worker by trade, Karen’s experience over the years has largely been working relationally.
“I feel very strongly that our work is about relationships. This program enables people to develop therapeutic relationships based on growth. We’re here to plant seeds – and we get a chance to watch them grow.”
Karen loves to meet in-person with her participants, and build a long-lasting trust that allows everyone involved to grow. Through workshops, one-on-one coaching, and resource development, Karen works with individuals over the course of 5 to 7 years.
As she’s seen dozens of people grow and thrive, she’s become a firm believer in a few things. She believes in the power of self-determination. She’s a believer in the power of education and access. Most importantly, she believes in the strength and courage of her participants.
“The only person who knows what they need is that person. Our participants know they can trust us to help, but we want this to be a strengths-based program. We give people the chance to see that they have real strength, real agency. Our relationships are what build that.”
But there is one thing Karen hasn’t always been a huge believer in, and that is technology. Karen is a people person, it’s why she’s so good at her job. She thrives when she can interact with her people face to face. Already slow to adopt new technology in her personal life, Karen has especially kept her social work very much in the real world.
However, in the face of global pandemic, Karen is now changing her ways. Once the stay-at-home order was given, it was a mad dash to connect with as many participants as possible. Karen started on the phone, and has spoken with dozens of people for a basic check in. A lot is changing for the people she serves, many are essential-working parents and have to figure out child care. Many are losing their jobs.
“First things first, I want to give people a space to vent and validate their feelings. I want everyone to know our work continues even if offices are closed. I’m still here for them.”
Given the current recession, Karen is working out new tools and strategies to get through unemployment. She’s collecting a list of resources – economic, food, and health resources – and is already developing new classes and worksheets to be ready for that.
Now, as the team begins to move forward with online meetings and education sessions, Karen is growing a little fonder of the new technology. The system doesn’t work perfectly, but she’s happy to see the faces of the people she serves. Just recently, she was able to directly connect a participant with SNAP and other benefits – and see the smile on their face. For Karen, that will be enough of a reward to continue in this new way of work.
“We don’t know how long this is going to go on for, and I want the people we serve to know that they can rely on us. This is going to be something we all struggle with – isolation, loneliness – we’re all dealing with it. But my job is to be relational, and I’m going to keep doing exactly that.”
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