Crisis Counseling Grants Help Hurricane Survivors
SAMHSA recently awarded more than $59 million to 14
states for crisis counseling assistance in the aftermath
of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. (See
SAMHSA News, November/ December 2005.)
These grants are awarded through a longstanding partnership
between SAMHSA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA).
A total of 20 states are expected to receive this "Regular
Services" program funding, which supports state
efforts for up to 9 months of additional help. These
grants will enable states to address ongoing counseling
needs of persons adversely affected by the hurricanes.
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| Pascagoula, MS,
September 9, 2005—A FEMA representative helps
a resident affected by Hurricane Katrina at the
Pascagoula Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). DRCs
are set up thoughout disaster areas to help affected
residents with the FEMA recovery process. FEMA/Mark
Wolfe |
A total of 29 states received "Immediate Services"
grants totaling $25.8 million within weeks of the hurricanes
in August, September, and October 2005.
To date, when combined with the early round of Immediate
Services grants, more than $82 million in Federal crisis
counseling support has been made available to states.
Six states received approval for the first
awards ($22.3 million)—Mississippi, Arkansas,
Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, and Utah. In the second
set of awards, an additional $19.2 million was approved
for seven states—Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Pennsylvania,
Wisconsin, Missouri, and Colorado. Third,
Florida was approved for up to $16.5 million for crisis
counseling assistance.
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Building a Recovery Identity
 |
| Waveland, MS,
September 30, 2005—FEMA staffer checks applicant's
paperwork at DRC. Edwin L. Rhodes FEMA/Customs
copies important documents at a Mobile Disaster
Recovery Center for a Hurricane Katrina disaster
victim. John Fleck/FEMA |
"It's important that crisis counseling services are
provided to disaster survivors in a manner that is as engaging
and positive as possible," said Seth Hassett, Chief
of Emergency Support Services at SAMHSA's Center for Mental
Health Services. "Most people appreciate the availability
of counseling services, but for some people this may be
the first time they've received any type of mental health
support. That's why states have come up with project names
that emphasize hope and recovery."
Each crisis counseling program will hire and train people
locally to provide outreach to hurricane survivors who
need mental health services. Outreach will include mobile
services in which trained workers go to shelters, disaster
recovery centers, or temporary hotels, and provide supportive
contacts, educational materials, and brief counseling
services.
Some of the "named" state programs and their
approximate approved funding amounts include:
Project Recovery in Mississippi (up
to $20 million approved) provides counseling services
to people in the 47 counties directly affected by Hurricane
Katrina. The state anticipates more than 300,000 persons
will need services.
Project AR-K in Arkansas (up to $532,000
approved) provides counseling services to evacuees through
outreach efforts, including activities coordinated with
local organizations (e.g., health organizations, public
housing agencies, and schools).
Indiana's Project Aftermath (up to
$690,000 approved) emphasizes field outreach to at-risk
populations including children, older adults, and people
with disabilities.
Maryland's Project KARE (up to $660,000
approved) establishes outreach programs to provide counseling
services to evacuees and serves at-risk populations through
community partnerships and special events.
New Jersey's Project Rebound (up to
$245,000 approved) focuses on evacuees who are ethnic
minorities and children, local families who provide housing,
and first responders who were deployed to the affected
areas.
Utah Reaching Out (up to $245,000 approved)
provides services to evacuees experiencing loss of homes,
loved ones, family, and employment.
Colorado Hurricane Evacuee Support and Recovery
Project (up to $1.2 million approved) is a counseling
program that provides individual and group educational
services to hurricane evacuees.
Missouri's Lighthouse Project (up to
$545,000 approved) offers a full range of crisis counseling
services to hurricane evacuees. Outreach efforts include
a statewide telephone crisis hotline.
Pennsylvania Responds (up to $1.1 million
approved) will provide education and outreach to several
thousand adults and children relocated to Philadelphia
and Allegheny counties.
Project Hope in Wisconsin (up to $433,000
approved) is a community-based disaster recovery program
addressing the crisis counseling needs of individual
evacuees and families.
Florida's Project Hope program received
approval for up to $16.5 million for counseling services
related to Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma.
Other crisis counseling awards include:
Illinois (up to $643,000 approved)
has outreach workers helping individuals and families
to link them to appropriate services.
Texas (up to $12.1 million approved)
continues outreach and support services to evacuees from
Louisiana and Mississippi. Hundreds of thousands of these
evacuees began arriving in Texas 48 hours prior to Katrina's
landfall and for weeks after.
Georgia (up to $3.2 million approved)
continues to assist with the unique crisis counseling
needs of this unusually large number of displaced individuals
spread over 250 of the state's 254 counties.
For more details on these grants, visit SAMHSA's Web
site at www.samhsa.gov/grants. 
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