I am a Katrina victim whose home, job & car were lost in new orleans. 
I am rebuilding my life on the east coast & staying iwht family but
need help as I have lost everything.  Almost out of $$$ & have no car
for the 1st time in my life- this such a horrible situation as I have
always taken care of myself. Losing everything at once has just thrown
me emotionally & financially.  I don't know where to turn.  Please
help me find some real help- but not the red cross (no help) or FEMA
(even worse).  Need something local to the Northern VA or Wash DC
area.  Need some real help- my whole life has been changed in one day
& I don't know where to start to get it back.  This is so hard & isn't
getting easier.
Thank you

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 12 Nov 2005 18:43 PST

ingabelle-ga,

It's hard to know where to start, really, but I'm willing to give it a
shot, and see what we can find for you.

We'll need to have a bit of a back and forth conversation...please
remember that anything that you post here is publcily viewable.

For starters, please tell me a bit more about your situation:

--Are you here with any children or siblings or others that you are
responsible for?  Or are you on your own?

--What is the situation with the family you are staying with?  Is it
comfortable?  Are they able to assist you beyond housing?  Is there a
time limit on your stay?

--What sort of help do you feel you are most in need of?  A job?  A
cash handout?  Living quarters?  Relocation assistance? Counselling?

--Have you considered contacting the local news media?  Sometimes
nothing quite breaks the logjam and makes things happen like a bit of
media exposure.



Let me know more...whatever you are comfortable posting here...and
I'll see what I can do to assist you.

All the best,

pafalafa-ga

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Clarification of Question by ingabelle-ga on 13 Nov 2005 01:27 PST

how odd to put so much out there (cringe)...had a small jewelry
business which I worked quite hard over the last 3 years at building. 
almost all gone, except what is left in my frazzled brain.  no
children, unless golden retrievers count (I volunteered for a local
rescue society and have one myself).  car destroyed, home must be
bulldozed (albeit rented), fledgling business crippled, living with
parents again (personal nightmare & a prime example of how poor
choices can be made in times of extreme stress such as watching your
city flood on cnn & knowing nothing can/will be done).  devastating to
be online admitting this, when 10 weeks ago I was a fully functional
adult, but I am simply lost.  not so desperate as to be homeless, but
it just all happened at once.  going to click before I lose my nerve

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 13 Nov 2005 05:45 PST

ingabelle-ga,

Thanks for taking that first, difficult step.

As for what's next, let me suggest the following:

1.  The government has a network of counselling hotlines that you can
call, if you want talk (rather than type) to a human being.  I imagine
the privacy may be a welcome change from this public forum.

The number is:  

1-800-273-TALK 
(1-800-273-8255)

The service has been specifically extended to assist Katrina victims,
which is good.

It's also a service that has *traditionally* been aimed at suicide
prevention, which is bad, in a way.  Even though it is now serving
many other hurricane-related functions, they still answer the phone as
"suicide prevention hotline", which can be very off-putting to hear. 
Nonetheless, they are worth a call, and can put you directly in touch
with local services in the DC area.


2.  You mentioned that FEMA and the Red Cross were no help to you. 
That's discouraging the hear.  Can you tell me a bit more about what
went wrong?  Perhaps I can steer you towards some more effective
services within those organizations, as they do have a wealth of
resources to offer.

3. What do you think you most need at this point?  What sort of
assistance would help?  Some of the options to explore are:

--unemployment insurance

--small business loans

--replacing lost documents

--finding people you've lost touch with


I hope that, in the midst of all that's gone wrong lately, you're able
to remind yourself that you have a bit of luck as well.  You're safe,
with a roof over your head, and among family (it can be tough...but
they're still family).  There's your dog, of course.  And you have
years of experience as a business person...experience which will help
you think through, plan and take your next steps.

Let me know how I can help.

By the way, my name is Dave, even though I sign myself...


pafalafa-ga

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 13 Nov 2005 06:37 PST

P.S.

My fellow researcher, byrd-ga, has given you a terrific list of
resources, in the comments section, below.  Make sure to look them
over...and start making some calls.

Dave

some resources and links:
http://www.katrinahousing.org/
http://www.hurricanehousing.org/

What was your job, and is it something you'd want to go back to?

Hi ingabelle-ga,

I'm located in Texas and spent many hours talking to Katrina/Rita
survivors in the days after the storms who felt much as you do, both
w/regard to Red Cross & FEMA's ineffectiveness, and distressed to find
themselves in the position of having to ask for assistance. It's got
to be awful to say the least, but take heart that at least you're not
alone, and there really are still a lot of resources available to
hurricane survivors.

Pafalafa-ga is located in your area, I believe, so will likely be able
to offer you more than I can, unfamiliar as I am with that part of the
country. But I just wanted to give you a list of possibilities to
start with, based on what we in Texas found to be some pretty good
resources overall, as well as a few links to some others that look
promising. However, I'm sure this is nowhere near a complete list, and
so will just post them here as a comment. Of course, you'll have to
take it from there and make the calls to find out which resource(s)
has the kind of help that will be of most use to you and your
individual situation.

Listed alphabetically: 

ADVENTIST COMMUNITY SERVICES of GREATER WASHINGTON (ACSGW)
A private charitable organization, this one's help is available to
anyone in need, and has set up special ways to assist hurricane
survivors, both indirectly and directly with different types of
services.
http://www.acsgw.org/ 

CATHOLIC CHARITIES They've got some really creative people among their
number - and no, you don't need to be Catholic to be helped.
http://www.catholiccharitiesdc.org/index2.html

CRAIGSLIST
This well-known online classified site was an amazing and thorough
source of help during the days immediately following Katrina, and
remains an excellent resource for survivors all over the country. They
have set up a special section for Katrina Survivors. You can browse,
search and/or post. Also, be sure to click on the "New Orleans"
section even though you are no longer there, as well as other sections
even though D.C. isn't specifically listed. I found that listings were
all over the place, and people wanting to get/give help were posting
all over the place.
http://www.craigslist.com/about/help/katrina_aid.html 

HURRICANE JOB HUNTER
A free job board based in the D.C. area that also offers free help
with preparing resumes and applications, and has links to other good
sites.
http://www.hurricanejobhunter.com/

KATRINA HELP 
This is a volunteer user-supported (wiki) site that has tons of
resources and advice for people in your situation all over the
country:
http://katrinahelp.info/wiki/main.html

KATRINA JOB RELLIEF
Another volunteer effort, this job board aimed at hurricane survivors
posts jobs from around the country in a database searchable by
location and/or keyword. Currently there are 40 jobs located in the
D.C. area, but more are always being listed, and you can use it and
also post your resume for free.  http://www.katrinajobrelief.com/

211 ANSWERS, PLEASE! 
Public information and referral service - call them! The operators
have access to a lot of information not available to the general
public, including proprietary databases, etc. and they have received
special training to assist hurricane survivors. Identify yourself as a
displaced Katrina survivor when you call:
http://answersplease.dc.gov/answersplease/site/default.asp 

SALVATION ARMY - NATIONAL CAPITAL AREA
A private charity, this organization is often able to help where
others can't because they have a little more latitude in their
operations. Definitely worth a shot to see if they're providing
individual assistance in the D.D. area.
http://www.salvationarmydcmetro.org/

I hope these resources will give you some ideas and ways to proceed
from here. You're facing a challenge some of us just can't imagine,
having to completely rebuild your life. But you've made a start, first
by surviving, second by reaching out for information. I believe you'll
make it the rest of the way too, one step at a time.  Best of luck to
you!

Kindest regards,
Byrd-ga