Heather Adams
Published: September 28, 2005
The entire country watched, waited, and worried as Katrina went barreling towards Louisiana and Mississippi, but the people of Gulf Coast were especially apprehensive. ÿEven Gulf Coast residents that were out of harm’s way, braced for the storm’s impact, because we have an understanding of hurricanes that other people in the United States don’t. ÿPerhaps it is because of this understanding that there is such a local effort to help.
One of the things that people around the panhandle are trying to do is to help the evacuees get out of shelters and into houses.
Cat Country 98.7, a radio station, started an organization called Open Heart Open Home, which asked for radio listeners to call in and apply to house people displaced from their homes by hurricane Katrina. ÿThey soon found out that their audience was more receptive than they thought they would be, and in less than two weeks they received more than 7oo offers to house evacuees.
“The response was so overwhelming we quickly recognized that because we are a radio station, this is not the business we’re in. ÿWe needed a partner.” Susan Neiman, Sales Director at Cat Country, said.
Susan Nieman met Greg Lancaster, founder of Next Step International, which is a non-denominational family ministry. ÿNext Step International already had their own hurricane housing project, Adopt a Family, so they joined forces to create one supreme volunteer housing organization.
Next Step International has taken over the process of matching host families to guest families, and they have designed a “compatibility information” form to help assist with the matching of hosts to guests, so
that the families are matched appropriately.
When a person applies to be a host family they specify the amount of time they will take in their guest, and according to Greg Lancaster many hosts are offering their homes for as long as they are needed.
Many organizations are being started to help with the financial challenges of hosting an entire family, and the Red Cross and FEMA are giving out emergency funds to the evacuees, which can be used to help purchase food.
When asked what people could do to help the most, Greg Lancaster said, “volunteer at the Next Step Adopt A Family offices and volunteer to be a part of the hurricane relief in the affected areas.”
It may not seem like volunteering at a local office is as important as a financial contribution, but in the words of Susan Nieman, “In the end run our contribution may be small, but it will be valuable nonetheless.”
Anyone who is interested in volunteering their time, money or home should contact Next Step International at NextStepInternational.org, or call at 944-6060.