For the better part of a year, the FPH blog has kept you up to date with the latest news across addiction, domestic abuse, and homelessness. Following on from the blog detailing a day in the office, we thought it would be a good idea to shed light on some of the remarkable people working at FPH, thus beginning the “Meet the team” series.
We will upload one blog per month focusing on the characters in the office who do so much for the betterment of people in need of help. First up: Our Chief Executive – Wendy Nee.
To describe Wendy as a unique character would be like calling a lion a housecat. “Wendy’s World” consists of courageousness and determination just as much as not being able to hold laughter in and forgetting what day it is. With that being said, saying she goes above and beyond wildly underestimates what she has achieved in starting First People Housing.
One thing I learned is that there is no such thing as a typical day for the Chief Exec. From dealing with immediate crises, to participating in child protection meetings to counselling or planning new initiatives, there really isn’t a job description for her role. She takes an active position in every facet of the business, running groups for new drop ins, personally taking clients to meetings and training staff, there’s nothing Wendy won’t do if it serves the business and the clients. She will, however, leave any computerised tasks to anybody willing to take them on.
For this blog, I asked Wendy to describe herself and her words illustrate her personality and outlook better than any colleague or anecdote could.
She said: “I’m an optimist that believes she can change the world but actually trying to support people one by one on the edges of society to make the changes they need to live the life they want and deserve. I believe everyone is inherently good and has the power within to be the best that they can be – some need a little more help to find this. I believe that everything works out in the end and true happiness comes from living in the here and now.”
Somewhat begrudgingly, she did admit to having a stubborn streak in defiance of accepting things are the way they are. I think this illustrates what the job requires. Leading a charity servicing people in need is going to bring challenges that wouldn’t typically be associated with most office jobs. There will inevitably be difficulties bordering on heartbreak, adversity at the point of impossibility and horrible decisions to make, but that conviction and refusal to accept ideas for the sake of it is what makes her a great leader.
When I asked Wendy for the reasons behind this line of work, she said that “everyone deserves to feel seen, safe, heard and valued” and this exemplifies the culture of the organisation.
Everyone in the company is different and nobody has lived the same experiences and drawing upon the impact of addiction on her extended family, Wendy illustrates the attitude of the tireless staff at FPH, saying: “Sometimes the simplest act of kindness can make the biggest difference.”
While a self-proclaimed optimist, Wendy said the worst thing about the job is knowing how many people need the help of charities like FPH who aren’t receiving it. Ambition and optimism are often interlinked, and in this sense, the rapid growth of the business and the aspirational plans that lay ahead can be contextualised. FPH has a staff full of purpose and dedication to helping people. This not only aligns with Wendy herself, but also the prevailing feelings behind other successful charities in the space.
Lastly, I wanted to get an idea of how Wendy measures success for the charity.
In what I believed to be her most revealing answer, she said: “Success is when a client has achieved what they want to achieve and not what we want them to achieve.”
In the non-profit sector, this is really the only way to achieve results. Prioritising others, hoping for improvement and accepting failure are necessities, but seeing people realise their goals and improve their lives is what it boils down to. Wendy does not equate success with new shelters or even public recognition – she measures success by FPH clients realizing their goals.