Back to most
recent news releases • Browse archive: 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • Email this
story
Evacuee assistance program assists thousands in 11 states
RRISA evacuee program caseworkers Sarah Miller and Gina Sims present a Christmas gift sack to two clients, Felicia Leonard and Pamela Gaspard, displaced to Atlanta by the Gulf Coast hurricanes.
Photo: RRISA
|
Church World Service uses refugee resettlement experience to meet needs of Gulf Coast residents dislocated by hurricanes
Tens of thousands of hurricane survivors were scattered across the United States. The CWS Immigration and Refugee Program (IRP) and its local resettlement affiliate agencies observed that the Gulf Coast evacuees' needs were much like those of refugees from other countries, who also had lost everything and faced starting over in a new community.
IRP and its affiliates adapted the professional case management and congregational co-sponsorship model it uses to resettle refugees, and applied it to helping hurricane evacuees dislocated to 11 states: Texas, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
National church bodies that support IRP stepped forward with special funding for a CWS evacuee assistance program, and additional money was raised as part of public appeals to support CWS’s broader program of hurricane response.
In its first three months, more than 5,000 hurricane survivors – ten times the number originally budgeted for -- received assistance through the CWS evacuee assistance program, helping them sort out the myriad disaster relief programs; find jobs, health care, and affordable housing and furnishings; get their children enrolled in school, and get oriented to and integrated into their new communities.
For example, in Atlanta, Ga., Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta has assisted more than 1,000 evacuees in the relocation process with the primary goal of permanent housing and self-sufficiency.
"Our program includes rent and utility assistance, employment resources, community adjustment, mental health services and referrals for childcare and state aid," said RRISA evacuee program caseworker Sarah Miller. "We have been able to accomplish this with the help of churches using a three-month sponsorship model and with furniture and financial donations from churches and individuals in the community."
"Additionally, we have partnered with Hands on Atlanta to provide 125 evacuee families with 125 volunteer advocates trained to support each evacuee family for three to six months and help them access resources they need to complete the relocation process. We also are proud to partner with United Way to administer a housing program for evacuees who were still in hotels at the end of December."
In Greensboro, N.C., diverse Christian and Jewish faith communities have joined together to assist hurricane evacuees dislocated to their community, said Nasi Kajana, coordinator of the evacuee assistance program at Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas (LFS) in Greensboro, N.C.
"During our efforts to train congregations to support the resettlement of evacuees," he said, "we were approached with a very special request; to provide training for three faith communities combined into one team." The training was held at the synagogue, with 26 people in attendance from Beth Meyer Synagogue, Praise Worship Tabernacle, and St. Philip Lutheran Church.
"The three faith communities are committed to working together in their efforts to provide assistance for Hurricane Katrina evacuees," Victoria Tackett, LFS evacuee program case manager/support circle coordinator said. "They specifically requested that each of their Support Circles be comprised of members from all three congregations, so they have an opportunity to get to know each other by serving together. All in attendance expressed the desire for inter-faith cooperation, wanting to learn from each other and share resources while helping our displaced Gulf Coast neighbors get settled in Raleigh/Wake County."
Kajana echoed Tackett's sentiments, "The need to make a difference has brought us together as one, focusing on being human rather than a member of a race, religion or an organization. This example of unity will assist us all to better understand the importance of our work. As we continue to provide relief for people in great need and distress, we also are providing ways for our communities to unite and break historical barriers in the quest to change people's lives forever."
Kim Burstein, who coordinated the CWS/IRP hurricane evacuee assistance program through December, said, "One of the most successful parts of the program was how our affiliates trained sponsors so there was a multiplier effect of the number of people providing assistance to evacuees. These sponsors and other organizations provided so much financial and (material) support that it allowed us to achieve a lot with limited funds. As a result, our affiliates generally used the funding we provided to them to cover staffing costs."
"One other function that the sponsors performed was helping to provide community integration for the evacuees. Since the majority of them can't go home or don’t want to, this has been key and should go a long way in helping restore the dignity of the evacuees."
"Generally, I think we have seen that the refugee resettlement model can be applied to helping displaced people. Due to their experience, staff members are used to dealing with people in transition who need guidance on how to access services, such as housing and jobs. Many of the evacuees needed this intensive case management to maneuver the maze of assistance."
The CWS/IRP evacuee assistance programs have been the catalyst for countless community partnerships.
For example, the Domestic Relief Services (DRS) program of Refugee Services of Texas linked up with the Northside Inter-Church Agency (NICA) to give Fort Worth site coordinators and Katrina evacuees in Fort Worth access to NICA”s supplies, said Debby Bobbitt, DRS Associate Director, Dallas.
Those supplies include food and clothing, along with hygiene and baby items. "This has been such a valuable resource for our Katrina guests," Bobbitt said, "especially since their temporary Food Stamps are running out. Also, we are rallying our churches to replenish supplies directly to NICA. We are having a food and monetary donation drive for the month of March."
The DRS also negotiated beds "for our evacuees who have yet to receive their FEMA furniture," she said. "The Episcopal Diocese purchased 25 full-size beds and frames. The Masonic Home of Texas donated 20 twin-size beds with frames. Many of the other organizations that we are jointly working with, such as Catholic Charities, the Salvation Army, and the city of Fort Worth, have already referred clients to us for beds."
The CWS/IRP evacuee assistance program originally was envisioned as a three-month program to meet displaced people's immediate needs and to "bridge" them to other existing and emerging public and private support services. At year's end, it was clear at many sites that hurricane evacuees were still in need of assistance, and CWS/IRP took applications from its evacuee assistance sites for additional funding for one- to three-month program extensions.
Several affiliates have obtained additional funding to continue beyond March 31, when CWS/IRP funding will end.
Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;
Back to most
recent news releases • Browse archive: 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • Email this
story