FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2009

Broken promises, unmet needs leave Louisiana vulnerable

BATON ROUGE, La. - Within a matter of weeks, many Louisiana citizens left homeless or with uninhabitable homes by hurricanes Katrina and Rita will lose their federal housing assistance as the HUD Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP) comes to an end. Coupled with the money FEMA promised but never provided to Louisiana for case management for many of this same population, another looming humanitarian crisis threatens the state.

The results of such a situation could have a crippling effect on state agencies such as the Department of Social Services (DSS) and the Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH), just to name a few. Therefore, it is vital for state government to better align existing resources and recovery funds to further satisfy unmet recovery needs.

“We support the reform work of DSS Secretary Kristy Nichols and believe that Governor Bobby Jindal and his administration will work hand-in-hand with the Recovery Corps to find solutions to these looming state challenges," said Dr. Monteic A. Sizer, President and CEO of the Recovery Corps. "We also look forward to working with the Obama administration, Senator Mary Landrieu, and members of our congressional delegation to obtain more resources for our citizens and provide expertise and lessons learned to senate and house committees and staff."

The HUD DHAP program is slated to end on March 1, 2009. The state faces a critical period, and if it does not properly prepare for the influx of Louisianians who will be losing federal aid, a larger segment of our citizens will be at extreme risk of being left behind.

“While we focus on furthering the recovery process of those impacted by Katrina and Rita, we cannot forget our fellow Louisianians recovering from hurricanes Gustav and Ike who are just beginning the long-term recovery process,” Sizer stressed.

The Recovery Corps has already seen extreme concern expressed over the looming end of the DHAP program. Non-profit leaders from across the state continue to tell the Recovery Corps their concerns relative to federal program closers and the desperate Louisiana citizens they serve. Several Recovery Corps partner agencies have begun to receive frantic calls from concerned citizens seeking answers regarding their loss of benefits, and, to their dismay, no real answers or solutions have been provided.

The state of Louisiana has the ability to care for its residents by not relying only on resources from the federal government, particularly in light of the fact that there may be millions in unexpended supplemental recovery funds. Any available resources should be identified and directed to delivering recovery services and direct assistance to those citizens in most dire need.

It is critical that any additional federal resources that are allocated to the state for recovery purposes be used to aid the still underserved victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita prior to any influx of funds and resources dedicated to victims of Gustav and Ike, for which Katrina/Rita impacted residents may not be eligible. This could be achieved by better coordinating long-term disaster recovery across state agencies and working with the non-profit sector.

The Recovery Corps was established in 2005 in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and charged with coordinating the delivery of recovery services within the state. Part of its duties on behalf of Louisiana and its people include determining where resources are and delivering outcome-based services to those who demonstrate both a need and a willingness to help themselves manage their recovery process.

There are many who are in desperate need of rental assistance before they are evicted, utility payment assistance before the lights are cut off, household furnishings assistance so they no longer have to sleep on the floor and new roofs overhead so the mold and mildew doesn’t destroy the remaining structure of their homes. These are all services provided by the Recovery Corps to thousands of Louisiana families via funds allocated by state, federal, and private sources.

It is essential that in these challenging times government work closely with those who can assist it in moving resources quickly to its citizens. Those groups include the local non-profit sector, of which the Recovery Corps is a leading member. Responsible non-profits have the ability to coordinate resources, ensure accountability, limit waste, and allow for greater accessibility to those who need the resources most.

Further, with the use of outcome-based services in the dispersal of resources, non-profits can measure the effectiveness of the programs, quickly react to any negative issues, and integrate lessons learned from previous programs in order to increase efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, and transparency.

The Recovery Corps has positioned itself to help make a difference for Louisiana. Its lessons learned from three years of dealing with the country’s greatest natural disaster, its unique outcome-based program design, and its policy discussion fueled by a unique set of experiences put it in a position to help lead the state’s recovery.

Some existing Recovery Corps research is available by clicking here.

ABOUT THE RECOVERY CORPS
The Louisiana Family Recovery Corps is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation based in Baton Rouge, La., and formed in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The Recovery Corps’ mission is to facilitate human recovery for the State of Louisiana in the aftermath of disaster, both natural and man-made. The Recovery Corps has partnered with human service and non-profit organizations throughout the state and the country to deliver assistance as effectively and efficiently as possible, allocating more than $80 million to recovery efforts and assisting more than 30,000 households since January 2006.