National and Local Katrina Aid Today Partners To Continue Services

The national and grassroots partners of Katrina Aid Today will complete their grant-funded activity on March 31. They will continue to assist survivors of the hurricane around the nation after that date through their existing social service network.

“A key reason that our national and local partners were selected to be a part of the grant was that they are firmly established in their communities,” explained Jim Cox, executive director, Katrina Aid Today. “The case management services they offered under the grant expanded existing social services for two and a half years to meet the needs of the large number of survivors living in or relocating to their communities. Now that the grant period is closing, they can maintain an ongoing presence for persons in their communities who may still require assistance.”

In an effort to extend services to survivors in Louisiana and Mississippi, the Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed to provide additional funds directly to agencies who worked with Katrina Aid Today. “While UMCOR will not be directly involved with the extension, we are encouraged to know that FEMA wishes to continue assistance to those facing challenges related to recovery, including housing issues,” said Tom Hazelwood, executive for United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), domestic disaster response.

Katrina Aid Today was funded with a $66 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, and overseen by UMCOR. The original grant period of two years was extended by six months through March 2008. At its peak, the consortium had 131 offices in 34 states. During the extension, after consultation with consortium members, offices were realigned to cover 18 states in the most vulnerable areas. In all 73,064 households, representing 192,888 individuals and families were assisted and $137,706, 596 was leveraged for recovery.

“It will take years to recover from a disaster of the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina,” remarked Hazelwood. “Katrina Aid Today was an important resource for the initial thirty months. Survivors who still need case management services have been or will be folded into the social service fabric of their communities.  In addition, rebuilding organizations and long term recovery committees remain in place in many communities to address the continuing recovery.”

The consortium used proven best practices techniques in case management developed and refined by UMCOR and partners of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD). Case managers worked with survivors to help them write recovery plans, navigate the labyrinth of paperwork, advocate for resources to meet unmet needs, and offer emotional and spiritual support. 

2,259 case managers were trained during the program. Ninety-six percent of clients responding to a Client Satisfaction Survey feel that case managers were knowledgeable about the recovery process and resources available. Ninety-four percent of clients feel that they received information and services to meet their needs.

National Consortium Boat People SOS Branch Manager Thao Vu, Biloxi, Mississippi, acknowledged that case management with Katrina survivors has been challenging and difficult. “If you can do social work post-Katrina, you can do social work anywhere,” she affirmed.

Vu also emphasized that recovery on the Gulf Coast will take dedication and long term commitment. “Non-profits will continue to play a critical role,” she said. “We need to realize that this work is long-term.”

Katrina Aid Today recently released a Program Book which summarizes the work of the consortium. The book includes descriptions of the program, partner profiles, summary statistics, maps, survivor stories, and photographs. It has been made available to the nine national partners in printed form, and will be available on the Katrina Aid Today web site, www.katrinaaidtoday.org.

For more information about Katrina Aid Today, including the program book, statistical summaries, and news releases, visit www.katrinaaidtoday.org. Additional information about UMCOR is available at www.umcor.org.