Mainly it's a storage problem. It's a lot easier to handle cash to provide immediate services for clients, and we can also be more specific with our help. |
There are a lot of people just wandering around, going through their personal items and making decisions about what to do next, like where they are going to stay. |
We try to determine the need for clothes, shoes, food, shelter and medical items. We are working very hard to take care of the emergency needs of the families that have been displaced. |
We'll be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week for the foreseeable future. Victims only need to call us at (731-427-5433) and then come in to get signed up. |
We're already meeting with families utilizing our shelter (in West Jackson Baptist Church) and in the immediate area, getting the preliminary casework needed and pairing their needs to the proper agencies, and we'll be doing that throughout the 11 counties we serve. We'll be in Brownsville Monday, where there are 100 refugees in various locations, and in Selmer Tuesday, where there are 40 more. |
We're not sure how they're coming, or their time of arrival. |
We've had several families contact us, and will be coming in as they run out of resources. And we're getting families who wound up in surrounding counties. |