Louisiana Unmet Needs Committees Bring Help to Katrina Survivors
Release Date: December 15, 2005
Release Number: 1603-228
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- Volunteers all over Louisiana are organizing Unmet Needs Committees to bring help to thousands of Hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors. The committees are organized at the parish level and focus on individuals and families who have significant unmet needs after receiving the maximum allowed assistance from government disaster programs.
The committees are unique in that each group brings together local community representatives from private agencies, institutions, churches, not-for-profit organizations, as well as individuals in a team effort to develop reasonable solutions for individuals in crisis.
“The committees provide a personal, people-to-people partnership so vital to the recovery process,” said Harry Noftsker, FEMA’s voluntary agency liaison. “A key feature of the program is to identify the serious needs of survivors and then organize a way to meet those needs without duplicating services.”
A team of professional case management supervisors and volunteer case managers work with survivors to assess their specific needs. The committees use every method possible to identify people who need a hand-up to start them back on the road to recovery. Referrals come from churches, social service agencies, schools, friends, and neighbors. “We can’t help people if we don’t know who they are or what they need,” Noftsker said.
Unmet needs encompass a broad range of services. One family may need help repairing a roof, another transportation to find a job or crisis counseling, or another financial assistance.
Case managers first help survivors by directing them to services and benefits to which they are entitled and for which they may not have applied. They provide guidance in the steps to full recovery; and continue their support until the families or persons are able to stand on their own. The approach is comprehensive and may involve multiple services and advocating for the survivor before the committee. The case manager does not provide direct aid; rather, they work with the survivor in assesses needs and helps families find solutions.
Funding to assist the case management effort comes from a variety of sources. FEMA awarded a $66 million grant to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), in partnership with National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD), to administer a National Case Management consortium to help qualifying families achieve long-term recovery. The grant was funded through donations from foreign nations for hurricane relief in the United States. UMCOR will add an additional $35 million from its own resources and is encouraging consortium members to add funds from their own agencies. Committees will establish tax-exempt, not for profit foundations to accept donations from other organizations and individuals.
Currently committees are active and functioning in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.
Interfaith committees have formed in the following parishes: Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Vermilion, and Washington. These committees are awaiting case management training.
Some parishes are beginning to form committees but need further development and case management training: Concordia, East Feliciana, Grant, Iberia, Lafayette, Ouachita, Plaquemines, St.Landry, St. Martin, and Vernon. Other parishes are targeted for development: Ascension, Iberville, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Charles, and St. James.
“Our goal is to have active committees that will provide services in every parish,” Notftsker said.
For more information on committees, please call (225) 334-7774.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program.
Last Modified: Friday, 16-Dec-2005 14:57:45