It was the first day of the kickoff of four new “learning communities” for network members organized by NeighborWorks America. The opening ice breaker asked each participant to share something that 1) he or she knows and 2) would like to learn.

It’s obvious to me that if [people with disabilities] are not in the room, we are not included in the discussion at all as a community of people. This is how I ended up effectively homeless for four months,” Melissa Mitchell, disability ambassador
 

The regular, thorough organizational assessments required of all nonprofits wanting to become and stay members of the NeighborWorks network is daunting. There is no denying it: The process requires significant staff time and is both demanding and rigorous. But it is a compelling point of differentiation for funders and policymakers, and many organizations have discovered a variety of internal benefits that have made them champions of the requirement.

Samuel Sanders, Executive Director of Mid City Redevelopment Alliance (MCRA) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is among the NeighborWorks network’s “veteran” disaster responders. In fact, NeighborWorks Western Region partnered with the Houston LISC office to host a convening so others could learn from his hard-earned wisdom. Below is a Q-and-A with Sanders.
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Tell us about your organization’s past experience with natural disasters. How much damage did they cause to the areas you serve?