MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2009

National economic crisis cannot overshadow recovery effort

BATON ROUGE, La. - The United States is currently undergoing a period of great tumult. A deepening national recession tied to a greater world-wide economic crisis has seen banks fail, families lose homes to foreclosure, property values shrivel, retirement plans evaporate, and jobs lost with staggering regularity.

Then, factor in a change in administration, new leadership within most of the federal agencies, and the swearing in of a new Congress, and it becomes clear that many in Washington D.C. have their hands full navigating the hectic course of running a nation in despair while still learning the ropes of their new responsibilities.

Front and center on the nation’s agenda is the nearly $900 billion economic stimulus plan being championed by President Barack Obama. The plan recently passed the House, with debates beginning in the Senate today. While the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps is clearly not in a position to debate all of the intricacies and detail packed within the entire plan, it is paramount that provisions for human recovery from the recent Gulf Coast hurricanes be included in the final version of a stimulus package.

“The Louisiana Family Recovery Corps is interested in putting people over politics,” said Dr. Monteic A. Sizer, President and CEO of the Recovery Corps. “We are not advocating one way or the other as to the merits of an economic stimulus plan. However, should Congress pass a stimulus plan, it is certainly critical that resources be dedicated to the continuing recovery of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.”

Continued aid for recovery is critical for any real revitalization to occur in Louisiana and the Gulf South. However, the Recovery Corps does not advocate a simple allocation of funds without associated accountabilities. The past has proven that funds without specific accountabilities tend to lead to misappropriation, misuse, and, in severe cases, outright fraud. American taxpayers who are ultimately funding any stimulus package deserve to know what impact their money and resources are having on their stated purposes.

Specifically, direct assistance needs to be provided to those citizens working everyday to advance the recovery process and move their lives back closer to normalcy. Additionally, the elderly, those with disabilities and mental illness, and others who are incapable of being self-sufficient remain among our state’s most vulnerable. Dedicated stimulus funds should also be earmarked for their continued aid and assistance.

While federal assistance is critical to ensure a full recovery, the state also has a great responsibility to its citizens. Louisiana has the moral and ethical responsibility to efficiently and effectively utilize any state and federal funds currently available for recovery and all future federal resources it receives. This can only be done by seamless agency coordination, direct alignment of resources, and strategic investments made to further human recovery.

“The people of Louisiana have gone through a great deal over the past few years,” Sizer added. “The resilience they have shown in coping with the effects of four major hurricanes is nothing short of remarkable. However, this is the most massive human recovery effort our nation has ever seen and, despite the ingenuity of our people, it cannot be done without the assistance of the state and federal governments working together with the people in partnership and in unison.”

Recovery is a holistic process that will take a united effort by the state, the federal government, the private sector, the non-profit sector, and the state’s citizens. Recovery includes a person’s spirituality, social network, and emotional and physical well-being. It also includes one’s ability to access and rely on the use of key infrastructure, including buildings, levees, highways, and bridges. Without all of the aforementioned being in place, full recovery simply cannot happen.

Such is the dilemma faced by the state. The answer will not come by ignoring the infrastructure and focusing only on the people. Vice versa, the people cannot be ignored to focus entirely on infrastructure.

Louisiana’s destiny resides in a healthy, housed, safe, educated, and working citizen. Louisiana’s destiny resides in a full recovery.

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.