Piedmont Neighbors Care Teams update
To: Members of the Piedmont Neighbors Care Teams
From: Mark Sills and Mattie Williams
We want to thank you all for your really hard work and wonderful results thus far. We are hearing many very positive things about the value of the Care Teams, and how important you are to the people you are serving. What a wonderful way to greet our new neighbors!
Last night at the meeting of the Steering Committee, the Red Cross reported that altogether we have received 377 family units (a total of more than 1,000 people) in the two offices (Greensboro and High Point/Thomasville/Lexington).
Of those, only 28 families are still being housed in hotels. Some of these families have already returned to the Gulf region, or moved on to be with relatives in other parts of the country. The most of families are still here and will be here for an extended time. Many continue to say they plan on making the Triad their permanent home.
Update on furniture: As of yesterday there were 32 families who have secured housing and are still waiting for furniture, and there will be many more families in this situation in the very near future. At the moment, the Triad Care House (the warehouse operated by Lutheran Family Services) is very low on furniture donations. It is expected that following the International Furniture Market in about two weeks, there will be a flood of donations of new furniture. However, the coalition is planning a major publicity blitz through churches/synagogues/mosques/temples and the press to encourage people to donate good, gently used furniture and appliances.
To donate furniture or appliances: Call the Volunteer Center in Greensboro (this works in High Point and all of Guilford County as well as Greensboro) at 373-1633. The Volunteer Center will arrange for the donation to be picked up and delivered to the Triad Care House. Once there, more volunteers will sort the donations and arrange them into “households” of furnishings. These will be matched to specific family units and another group of volunteers will deliver the furniture, most likely on a Saturday or Sunday. Please help spread the word about the need for furniture donations through your religious congregation, workplace, or civic club.
Because the Triad Care House does not have paid staff, there are no operating hours. Therefore, the only way to donate is through the Volunteer Center, and the only way to receive donated furniture is through Lutheran Family Services. If your family needs furnishings and you have no other way to provide them with their needs, be sure that they have a request into Lutheran Family Services (call Loni Higgins at 378-7881).
Warning about leases: We learned from HUD last night that FEMA is about to announce two programs that will provide long-term assistance to our Katrina families. These programs will be available to most evacuees in one form or the other. In both cases, rental assistance may be available for up to twelve months. This is great news! However, we were told that the family MUST NOT sign a lease before getting this assistance. To do so may void their eligibility. Since it may take another month or two for FEMA to have this program in place, it will create a major hardship for our new neighbors who are running out of time for getting into permanent housing. Frankly, at this point we don’t know how to deal with this problem. We don’t want people to have to wait for many more weeks before getting into housing, and we are especially concerned about those who already have found housing and signed leases. It seems cruel to announce a program with such restrictive rules after folk already have taken steps to deal with their own situation, and then to punish those who have done the most by denying them the aid others will get. As we learn more about this we will keep you informed.
Don’t forget the 3rd Annual Multicultural Thanksgiving Dinner that FaithAction will sponsor on November 7th at 6 p.m. This will be held in the Fellowship Hall at West Market Street United Methodist Church. Please invite your family as your guest. Everyone else is encouraged to bring a covered dish (along with a printed list of ingredients so those with dietary restrictions will not accidentally eat forbidden food). Along with food from around the world, there will be music and dance and many ways in which you and your guests may express their thanksgiving for life and good neighbors. We do ask that someone in your group contact Crystal Carter at FaithAction prior to that night to let us know approximately how many people will be attending. Call Crystal at 379-0037 or email crystal.carter@earthlink.net.
Legal Assistance: FaithAction will sponsor a free legal clinic at the FaithAction International House twice in November, on the 8th and the 15th from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Legal advice and counsel will be provided by an attorney from the Northwest North Carolina Legal Aid office in Winston-Salem. If any of your family members need legal advice, this will be a good opportunity for them to explore their options at no cost. Assistance will be available in Spanish as well as English.
We will send more information as it becomes available.
FaithAction
705 North Greene Street
Greensboro, North Carolina 27401
www.faithaction.com
Forming a united community of many cultures