Remembering Katrina: A new Urban Ministry Center is dedicated
Episcopal News Service. March 6, 2007 [030607-02]
Malaika Kamunanwire, Senior director for marketing and communications for Episcopal Relief and Development
The bishop of Louisiana diocese joined hands with the president of Episcopal Relief and Development to open another new initiative in New Orleans on February 26 with the dedication of the Episcopal Urban Ministry Center adjacent to the diocesan offices.
The ministry center will be the new headquarters of the comprehensive humanitarian services for post-Katrina rebuilding programs.
"The opening and dedication of this ministry center represents our partnership with ERD and our commitment to the recovery and rebuilding of New Orleans," said Bishop Charles E. Jenkins.
Located in the Center City neighborhood, the ministry center will help to meet the needs of people now living in New Orleans and those who are returning. It will house a community room, case management services, housing for volunteer workers and offices for the Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative.
A brass band, composed of high school students, opened the dedication ceremony at the center's headquarters on Seventh Street between Carondelet Street and St. Charles Avenue. Participants and guests included of community leaders, clergy and diocesan staff and ERD's Board of Directors.
A testimony to commitment
After an introduction by Bishop Jenkins, speakers included Pastor John E. Pierre of Living Witness Church in Central City; Saundra Reed, co-director of the Central City Renaissance Alliance, Bishop Harry Bainbridge, chair of ERD's Board of Directors; and Robert W. Radtke, ERD president.
Radtke acknowledged the resilience of New Orleanians for "showing us the power of faith – how it transforms people to overcome enormous obstacles.
"The Episcopal Urban Ministry Center is a wonderful testimony to the commitment of the Episcopal Church in Louisiana and the people of this city," he said. "This center will be a sanctuary to help people heal and access critical services such as pastoral care, counseling, housing and many others so they can rebuild their lives.
"These recovery efforts demonstrate the incredible resilience and courage of the Diocese of Louisiana. In partnership with the diocese, the generosity of Episcopalians has enabled Episcopal Relief and Development to commit over $10 million to impact 200,000 people through psychosocial counseling, health care, livelihood renewal and housing," Radtke said.
Bishop Bainbridge, chair of ERD's board, commended the diocese for its dedication to Katrina survivors and talked about the signs of a new day. "What is before us is a new day of hope. We are committed to standing with our brothers and sisters as you work out what the future will be," he said.
Members of ERD's board decided to meet in New Orleans to have the opportunity to witness first-hand the impact of the work of the diocese and ERD's recovery programs on survivors and devastated communities.
"When I look at the church in New Orleans, I see the church at its best. I believe our witness to the gospel is directly connected to our willingness to embrace suffering," said Bishop Robert J. O'Neill of Colorado, newly elected member of ERD's board. "ERD's partnership with communities invites us to do just that."
Saundra Reed, co-director of the Central City Renaissance Alliance spoke passionately about the work of the Episcopal Church, while offering a challenge to the audience.
"I appreciate the church for coming into an urban neighborhood and working with us — I'm proud to say that you are my neighbor," said Reed. "But, there is a lot more to be done.
"I need you to partner with my community as we reinvest in the educational system, housing and crime prevention," she said. "I hope those of you who have relationships and resources have come to say ‘yes' to New Orleans, but I want you to think very carefully about your next step."
As the brass band closed the ceremony, guests enjoyed New Orleans' authentic music and local cuisine.
Providing critical services for people
Eighteen months after the storm, evacuees are slowly returning. Unfortunately, they are met with inadequate transitional housing and many families still live in the temporary shelters provided by FEMA.
As the city continues to rebuild its infrastructure, people grapple with other challenges in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The storm exposed a divided New Orleans, a city suffering from years of inferior education, economic exclusion and racism for most of its African American residents.
City officials are struggling to find the best way to address the needs of returning evacuees. According to Archdeacon Dennis McManis, operations director for the diocesan Office for Disaster Response, in the last census taken before Hurricane Katrina there were approximately 487,000 people living in New Orleans. Recent figures suggest that there are close to 200,000 residents now, he said.
"Many people are having a hard time coming back to the city because they've lost their jobs, they don't have a place to stay and they don't have childcare options," he said.
McManis' office and ERD are serving the needs of survivors in and around New Orleans with a particular emphasis on the poor, elderly, marginalized and uninsured.
Through long-term recovery programs, they are focusing on livelihood and housing renewal, psychosocial counseling, health care and distribution of critical goods. Committing over $10 million to date, ERD has served over 194,000 individuals and families in the past 18 months and has joined with the diocesan office to donate additional funding for volunteer support of residents who are in the process of rebuilding their homes. Tens of thousands of homes are still in need of major construction, McManis said.
"Over 3,330 people have volunteered with ODR, helping survivors gut out their homes and salvage belongings. So far, they have gutted out over 700 homes," he said. "Since it costs $6,000 to work on each house, we've donated roughly $4.2 million to help people gut out their homes."
Among the various programs supported by ERD are the St. Paul's and St. Luke's Welcome Home Centers for returning residents, Trinity Counseling and Training Center for psycho-social support, three separate Mobile Ministry Units, and the Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative, the first affordable housing program in New Orleans to receive 50 adjudicated properties under the City of New Orleans Targeted Neighborhood Development Project.
"There are many challenges to why Katrina survivors cannot return to New Orleans," said McManis. "Many people don't have the resources, there is no transitional living an accommodation, commerce fully hasn't returned and our infrastructure is still being rebuilt."
Through the Jericho Road program, the organizations are helping to provide affordable housing while giving people the opportunity to own their own homes. The Jericho Road program has received title for the first four properties and plans to construct 500 affordable houses, and enroll families in homeowner education programs to help them qualify for homes with low-interest loans over the next five to seven years.
"Eighty percent of our health care specialists left the city in the wake of Katrina," said McManis. "We believe that it is not only vital to our mission, but to our programs that we cater to the needs of the uninsured and others who have not been able to seek treatment because of changes in the medical and mental healthcare systems."
The organizations also have mobile units that are driven to various parts of the city to distribute meals and canned goods, donate cleaning supplies and clothes. The partnership with St. George's and the Mobile Loaves and Fishes unit is delivering food to more than 2,500 families each month in low-income neighborhoods.
"Through a mobile respite unit, people in the Lower Ninth Ward are receiving critical assistance and pastoral care. Additionally, a mobile medical unit provides on-site medical treatment to residents working on damaged homes," said Richard Ohlsen, ERD's director of Domestic Disaster Preparedness and Response.
"We are being transformed by our ministry? God is changing us," exclaimed Bishop Jenkins. "I am proud to be working with everyday heroes and people doing tremendous things."
The Office of Disaster Response is seeking both skilled and unskilled volunteers to help with house gutting and other rebuilding efforts. To volunteer, please send an email to sfoto@edola.org or call (504) 895-4304.
For more information about recovery work in New Orleans, visit the ERD website or the Diocese of Louisiana website. Please read the attached 18-month Katrina update for detailed information about ERD's and ODR's recovery programs.
Episcopal Relief and Development is the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church of the United States. An independent 501(c) (3) organization, ERD saves lives and builds hope in communities around the world. ERD's programs work toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals. We provide emergency assistance in times of crisis and rebuild after disasters. We enable people to climb out of poverty by offering long-term solutions in the areas of food security and health care, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.