Low Income Housing Shortage

Today was our first day 'off', and as far as I know most everyone in town who usually does something with hurricane relief still did something for hurricane relief. David Kilbern met with some ladies from an organization that is interested in our method of helping others. Daved Baker had a board meeting and worked on a housing issue. (Board Meeting = met with me at Dough Joes). I helped David K. clear off the reception desk and helped a few of our 'tenants' (i.e. people - friends - who live at the church building) with some things they needed. By the way, a friend told me that the things I'm typing in between parentheses are not showing up on the blog. They show up on my viewing ... how about yours? Oh, then he told me he uses Netscape. I think I just heard a collective groan. Something happened today that has not happened since August 29th. A FEMA representative came to my home. That's right. It took eight months and one day for them to come by. He asked me when I signed up, and I told him September 2. But I'm not alone ... there are still people who have not been seen by FEMA. Thanks, David Kilbern, for making several calls to try to get this accomplished. Now I have to wait a month to see what arrives in the mail. One sister at church supposed this past Sunday that I had gotten more FEMA money than she. I do not know why she supposed this! She was shocked to know that I had not received any FEMA funding other than the initial living expenses everyone else received. But, I'm happy to have the ball rolling. So today's topic of discussion is housing, and more specifically, low-income housing. Once upon a time on the Coast there was a fairly large population of indigent, almost homeless people. As far as I know, they lived in run-down apartments with other people pooling resources. They scraped by in trailers that had seen their better days decades ago. I remember one night David Kilbern (is this David Kilbern night on the blog, or what?) and I went to see a young couple that we had met earlier. They lived in a trailer - but it was one unlike any I had seen before. It was rounded on the ends, and it sat on the ground, and it looked like it would fall down if you leaned against it. They paid 100 dollars a week to live in that leaky tin can. Basically, these places do not exist any more. If they do, there aren't many of them. They were demolished by Katrina. Good riddance in some ways. The city will look better without them. The landlords who didn't take care of them no longer have the opportunity to basically steal from these people. And they were a health hazard, I'm sure. But they also provided a roof over the heads of people who can't get into any other kind of housing. That world of people have lost their homes, and they have no where to go. Tonight FEMA called us asking us to house a young family with two children, ages 1 and 2. This is not new for us, unfortunately ... but I can't get used to the Federal Government of the United States of America calling the Central Church of Christ to house a family. We really are not set up to do this ... so it tugs at your heart. Daved Baker agreed to house them at one of the warehouses for a few days. But what chances do they have of finding a place to live? A new job? Reliable transportation? In my opinion, FEMA should handle this problem. But they are unable to bend their own rules ... so if Christians do not catch these people, who will? But our resources are not such as to be able to handle these kinds of situations either. We just make do. And a family has a roof over their heads tonight. Daved and Greg will see that their basic needs are met - even though it is outside of their duty. This is a family we knew about. In America there are families we never hear about who didn't find some Christian people to take them in. I've typed a bunch tonight...if you're still reading...thanks for hanging in there with me!