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0717 JULY
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by joy holden
louisiana
spirit
connect / l o c a l p r o f i l e ?e summer sunshine gleams off the blacktop road in a neighborhood near greenwell springs. fema trailers stand in front of vacant houses, and abandoned homes dot the street with cracked windows and tall grass. a team of heroes dressed in red polos walks from property to property, checking in with residents and photographing blighted homes. ?ey carry on conversations about flood survivors and their progress. you may not know their names, but the louisiana spirit team members are leading the charge of providing support and hope to the survivors of the great flood. many baton rouge residents are still in the midst of the rebuilding process nearly one year removed from the flood, but they are not forgotten by louisiana spirit. each team member has a specific role, and they fulfill them in perfect harmony. louisiana spirit is a crisis counseling program
activated immediately following a presidential declaration of disaster. ?e organization began after hurricane katrina and is funded by fema, administered by samsha, and falls under the state?s department of health and office of behavioral health. louisiana spirit provides adult and child needs assessment, emotional support, and referrals to additional disaster relief services. ?e program provides linkage with other individuals and agencies that may assist them in their recovery process. currently, the program is operating in 20 parishes that were affected by the great flood. ?we?ve responded to other disasters like gustav, ike, and the deepwater horizon oil spill. based on the initial assessment done after the disaster declaration, our services will be activated and boots on the ground in 48 hours,? says nicole coarsey, louisiana spirit program coordinator. it is critical that louisiana spirit continues to offer help to survivors because ?after an initial event, you get all these different resources from non-profits and churches, but within six months many have dried up. it?s the job of our local providers and resource linkage coordinators to track down resources for the survivors,? nicole adds. on this day of canvassing, the team consisted of nicole; shantel smith, the resource linkage coordinator; matthew muse, the team leader; john nosaka, program director from capital area human services; kaneisha chaney, left to right: martine turner, kaneisha chaney, matthew muse, nicole coarsey, john nosaka, and shantel smith. 4 6 b r p a r e n t s . c o m | j u l y 2 0 1 7
louisiana-crisis-spirit-47.html