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VOLUNTEER NEEDS:
Intelligent people who like to help in a very practical way; people who
have a sense of justice and will work for the needs of
deserving people; people who will not take “No” for an answer
and will FIND an answer; a social worker or case worker kind
of job, but one that almost anyone can do who is willing to
learn the system.
THE PROBLEM:
There are many resources, but the system gets bogged down in red tape;
people don’t know what help is available and don’t have any
idea of how to get it; they find the paper work and logistics
totally confusing; they can find themselves going back and
forth between agencies and getting nowhere. This is great
frustration for people who are already in crisis.
THE ANSWER:
People who are willing to learn the system; learn the agencies, learn
what resources are available and who is eligible; people who
are willing to give direction or, if need be, to take someone
by the hand and see to it that they get the help needed. It
may be as simple (?) as helping people fill out FEMA forms, or
as complex as solving a multitude of interrelated problems.
EXAMPLE:
It is one week after the hurricane has struck. A woman has a stack of
pictures showing her rented house totally demolished, she has
a stack of prescriptions for herself (she was supposed to have
surgery, but didn’t get it because the hurricane struck) and
for two of her three children who have special needs. Her
husband’s job has put them up in a hotel for a week, but that
is now up.
He is no longer working, but is home with the three children (remember
that two of these are special needs children) because the
daycare is demolished, and his wife is in great pain and no
longer able to care for the children. The wife has repeatedly
been on the phone with the Red Cross, FEMA, and the Governor’s
office trying to get help with housing and money for
prescriptions. So far she has received nothing.
Add to this that school is supposed to start and the children’s clothes
and everything else that they own is gone. She is distraught,
in pain, and desperate. What do you do? |
