Today at the November 2008 meeting of the Newark/Essex Foreclosure Task Force will mark a year since the initial meeting.
This is a Bitter Sweet moment.
The Sweet
In comparison to the many Task Forces and Committees that I have sat on over the years, this one ranks as the most productive by a wide margin. It has produced invaluable insight into the inner workings of the crisis. It has fostered inter-agency cooperation on an scale that would not have been thought possible, at least by an old cynic like me, only a year ago. New alliances have been forged that will continue to help the people we serve long after this crisis is past. And, most importantly, real and tangable results in helping people go trouble have been realized as a direct result me the task forces efforts.
On a personal note, friendships have been made that I hope will last a lifetime.
The Bitter
This meeting is not a celebration of the end of the crisis. Maybe not even the beginning me the end, but the end of the beginning.