CarterCHARLOTTE — More survivors of Tropical Storm Helene will receive much-needed aid from Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Charlotte thanks to a recent grant the agency received from the Golden LEAF Foundation.
The agency was awarded $650,000 to fund six new positions to support disaster relief efforts in western North Carolina. The funding will last for one year and enable the hiring of four disaster case managers, a disaster case manager supervisor and a disaster financial analyst, according to Gerry Carter, the agency’s executive director and CEO.
The Golden LEAF Foundation was established in 1999 to administer a portion of tobacco settlement agreement funds and funnel them into rural and economically distressed communities throughout North Carolina.
When Helene hit on Sept. 27, Catholic Charities swung into action, helping those impacted by the storm. In the days immediately following Helene, the agency sent truckloads of relief supplies including food, water, diapers, paper products and more to western North Carolina. Within two weeks, the agency began to redirect their efforts to helping people navigate long-term recovery needs.
Catholic Charities currently has six caseworkers working on storm relief efforts in Asheville, Lenoir and North Wilkesboro, and the new caseworkers will be able to address needs that are expected to grow over the next few months.
So far, the agency has been contacted by more than 650 people in western North Carolina seeking assistance with storm-related concerns, Carter said, and he expects that eventually more than 1,000 people could be on the agency’s long-term caseload.
Some clients only need help with one bill, such as rent or utilities, or have one concrete need, such as replacing prescription contact lenses or finding a new car. One person needed help to build a small bridge across a washed-out area of their property so a car could cross.
Many clients, however, have multiple needs that will take weeks or months to fulfill, and that’s where the caseworkers come in, Carter said.
“We have people who need significant longer-term help because their homes or businesses washed away, and they’re looking at having to find a new place to live or totally renovating their house,” Carter said. “The caseworker can help a person look at the whole picture and then marshal resources to assist them in their long-term recovery.”
Disaster case managers will be able to help clients get help from Catholic Charities and learn about other resources available to them, such as loans and assistance from federal agencies,
help from other nonprofits and volunteers in the region.
The case manager supervisor will work with all of the disaster case managers to make sure case work is being handled efficiently, and the financial analyst will ensure that disaster recovery funds are handled using the best financial practices.
“It’s absolutely essential that every dollar given for disaster recovery is spent properly,” Carter said.
Catholic Charities is accepting applications for the new positions and hopes to fill them in the next few weeks.
— Christina Lee Knauss
How to help
There has been an outpouring of assistance from people in the diocese, across the country and around the world. As of presstime, Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Charlotte have received more than $7.8 million in donations, including $1 million from Catholic Charities USA. Continued assistance is needed as the relief focus has shifted toward long-term recovery assistance. Here’s how you can help people in need, or get assistance if you live in the affected areas:
Donate money
Monetary donations are the fastest, most flexible and most effective way to support emergency relief efforts. Local responders on the ground can use the funds to help people with immediate as well as long-term needs. Give securely online: www.ccdoc.org/helenerelief.
Need help?
- Reach Catholic Charities via an online request form and/or local contact information at www.ccdoc.org.
- North Carolina 2-1-1: Use the state’s info hotline (call 211 and press 1, or go online to www.nc211.org) to find information about getting food, water and shelter; finding loved ones; checking current road conditions; filing damage and insurance claims; and other issues.
- FEMA assistance: Go to www.disasterassistance.gov, call 800-621-3362, or download and apply through the FEMA app.
Add your prayers
The diocese has an online prayer request form at www.charlottediocese.org/form-prayer-request.
More online
See more coverage of the impacts of Helene and recovery efforts underway: https://catholicnewsherald.com/home-page/helene-relief