News
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 2 ½ 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, FEMA 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.
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News
Local Consortium Member Makes a Difference in Houston
Ruqayya Gibson expressed the feelings of many affected by the wind and water of Hurricane Katrina. “My life will never be the same,” she exclaimed.
Soon after the hurricane made landfall in August 2005, Gibson, Executive Director of ACTION, organized efforts to distribute clothing and food to survivors of Katrina who had come to Houston. Soon, she and her agency were involved with the local Long Term Recovery Committee, and applied for and received a grant through Katrina Aid Today to begin case management services.
ACTION, Accepting Challenges to Improve Our Nation, is an established agency that seeks to empower low and moderate income individuals, families and neighborhoods through housing programs, economic development and other social services in Houston. Recent estimates note that 90,000 persons who evacuated after the devastating hurricane hit the US Gulf Coast are permanent residents in the city.
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