Grand Opening Of The Welcome Home Center
Release Date: February 2, 2007
Release Number: 1603-007b
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NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the grand opening of the ‘Welcome Home Center,’ Jan. 25, 2007, at its location at 1250 Poydras, on the 14th floor, in downtown Grand Opening Of The Welcome Home CenterNew Orleans.
A concerted effort to help serve the residents of the metro New Orleans area in their long-term recovery, the center is managed by FEMA and has served more than 2,400 people since its opening on Jan. 3, 2007.
“In an effort to better serve our customers and the recovery of Southeast Louisiana, we are proud to be a part of this one-stop information center,” said James Stark, director, FEMA’s Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office. “We will continue to improve our customer service and encourage applicants to visit the Welcome Home Center to help aid in their personal road to recovery.”
To provide applicants easy access to federal assistance and other much-needed resources, the Center houses FEMA, the city of New Orleans and other agencies and organizations.
- FEMA individual assistance provides housing assistance through rental monies or travel trailers or mobile homes, as well as other needs assistance, such as personal property replacement and transportation assistance, through FEMA grants.
- The FEMA mitigation division offers advice on construction methods when repairing or rebuilding a home or business, information on community building standards and flood insurance and access to insurance experts.
- The Small Business Administration provides low interest loans to renters, homeowners and businesses.
- The Department of Social Services determines if an applicant is eligible for benefits such as food stamps, disability assistance, family support and free child care.
- Louisiana Spirit provides crisis counseling to applicants in need and will make referrals to Tzu Chi as needed.
- The Tzu Chi Foundation offers limited psychiatric services and makes long-term referrals for additional counseling to applicants who need it.
The Welcome Home Center also consists of three other organizations and agencies under the direction of the city of New Orleans:
- Odyssey House assists with services from homeless shelters to household grant assistance.
- Job 1 assists applicants with programs such as job search and resume writing.
- The Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) helps applicants who were or are in the subsidized housing program (Section 8) in locating housing.
The Welcome Home Center also makes it easy for parents of minor children to work on their paperwork at the center. There, Disaster Child Care personnel provide games and counseling to children who have suffered from Katrina’s traumatic effects.
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident, initiates mitigation activities and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA works closely with state and local emergency managers, law enforcement personnel, firefighters and other first responders. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Friday, 02-Feb-2007 13:46:12