Friday, Sept. 16, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | List swells to 275 Katrina families hereBy JOHN MUNFORD Local social workers are seeing a slowdown in the number of persons reporting they are now living here in Fayette County having been displaced from their homes on the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina. As of Thursday afternoon, 275 such families and a total of 675 persons have registered with the Fayette County Department of Family and Children Services, which is screening and processing the victims. DFCS has distributed $44,680 in gift cards and gift certificates to victims, chiefly thanks to the largesse of local residents, businesses and the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, which authorized spending up to $25,000 to assist Katrina victims. The gift cards and certificates are used to buy food, clothing, medicine and gas. Gift cards and certificates can be donated at the DFCS offices, which are located at 905 Ga. Highway 85 south in Fayetteville, just past the Towne Center (Kroger) shopping center and Ramah Road. Despite the slowdown, there is still a need for long-term assistance for Katrina victims, many of whom will be staying for a while and thus looking for jobs. Many of them came with few possessions, officials said. Some families are able to go back to their homes temporarily to retrieve possessions, but many will be coming back here to live, so long-term housing is a big need, said Capt. Pete Nelms of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Were certainly not through this yet, but things are starting to level off a little bit, Nelms said. DFCS has been steering Katrina victims to local social service agencies that have geared up to help with food, clothing and job assistance. Katrina victims who are staying here and need work are being invited to advertise their skills for free on the web sites of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce and the Fayette County Development Authority. |
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