just made a few small changes. I looks good. Henry

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Charity/Welfare in New Orleans

"If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble."
~Bob Hope

The welfare system in New Orleans has never been a very well organized or planned institution. Currently, it is the responsibility of the Orleans Parish Health Department to oversee the welfare of its citizens. This has been in effect since the 1960’s, when New Orleans completely overhauled their system of welfare in order to lessen the number of citizens relying on their local government’s aid (Leighninger and Lindhorst). Reorganizing the system effectively cancelled the aid for 28 percent of those who had previously qualified. The redistribution of welfare was based on the state’s evaluation of “unsuitable” mothers (i.e. those who were unmarried or engaged in sexual activity outside of marriage) meant that 22, 501 children who had previously received welfare were suddenly cut off from this monetary aid (Leighninger and Lindhorst).
Since this time, the divisions between classes has been even more obvious in New Orleans, as all but 1,400 of the children who were no longer eligible for welfare were a part of the African-American community. Response to this surprisingly blatant racial statement came from all over the world; most surprisingly, an organization made up of British women shipped food and blankets to the children of New Orleans to help ease the tension that the welfare situation had created. Charity from churches, volunteer groups, and community leaders was instrumental in filling the void that the redistribution of welfare created.
 More recently, the onslaught of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have brought about a whole new set of challenges. How should New Orleans respond to the overwhelming need for charity and welfare for its poor, homeless citizens? How can it deal with the national spotlight the media has placed on its citizens and their lack of resources while still maintaining dignity and pride? How can the Health Department adequately aid homeless, sick, elderly, young, emotionally distraught, and/or orphaned people while trying to run a department funded entirely on the tax dollars paid by the very people who need help most? How can a city in crisis manage the donations of the entire world fairly and adequately?
There are no clear answers to these questions, but each one brings with it its own set of arguments and dialogues that need to happen in order for the city to rebuild. One of the main issues in this topic that needs to be addressed is: how does a city regulate or control the donations of well-meaning organizations and people without offending them or discouraging their generosity? How does a  city, in effect, say “Thanks for the cash, but we can’t just let you do whatever you want in our city or with our citizens”?
First response to Hurricane Katrina by organizations such as the Red Cross and FEMA provided efforts to save, heal, and relocate citizens to safer and higher ground. Soon after, donations began to pour into the city of New Orleans. In the ensuing weeks, over $425 billion was donated to various Hurricane Relief funds (Adams). The Red Cross raised over half of this money and, while they probably could have handled the whole situation better, they were still able to respond to victims of the disaster more adequately than any other agency.
The Red Cross and FEMA, to name just two of the many, set up semi-permanent base camps in badly damaged areas and, with the help of private donations, are continually working to rebuild homes and lives. Both are facing serious criticism after their initial handling of the crisis. The Red Cross and FEMA were simply unprepared for a disaster of such magnitude; they had no entry into the areas that were hit the hardest by the hurricane and they had no means of organization after their own offices in New Orleans were evacuated and flooded. When it finally responded, FEMA distributed a debit card to each citizen to be used for basic provisions; however, there was no system in effect to monitor the use of these cards. Also, due to quick evacuation, many people had no form of official identification or proof of citizenship. As a result, the emergency debit cards were handed out freely and some people took advantage of the situation (some cards were sold on ebay, some were used for alcohol and cigarettes, etc). Overall, both organizations faced an amount of criticism the likes of which neither had ever seen before: some of it deserved, some of it harsher than necessary.
Private donations are harder to regulate. There is no law governing how people donate to the citizens of New Orleans, nor is there a system in effect to suggest some appropriate guidelines for contributions. Charity Navigator, an organization created and directed by Ted Stamp, tracks how much money is donated to various charities after crises, and then monitors how the donations were spent. While reports exist post-911 that detail how much money was wasted or inappropriately distributed, there is no group or rule that guards those involved in future catastrophes against making the same mistakes (Tinsley).
 Celebrities, such as Oprah and Brad Pitt, have contributed to the rebuilding by sponsoring entire city blocks of housing developments for displaced citizens. The problems that lie in accepting such generous offers have begun to appear only recently. Oprah, for example, is facing criticism for her Angel Lane project because she built a block of houses not in New Orleans, but just outside Houston, Texas. Some are voicing dissatisfaction because she is not actually rebuilding the city, as she claims, but encouraging people to take up permanent residence in other states.
Brad Pitt’s section of “Greenola” homes are also under scrutiny because, while he is making a wonderful environmentally-friendly statement and contribution, the houses are not being built according to city codes or opinion. Community members had no say in the design and are not ready to move in to homes that “look like a spaceship that landed in the French Quarter” (“Pitt”). With Oprah taking tax-paying citizens out of the state and Pitt building houses that are not safe or culturally sensitive, it is becoming increasingly obvious that well-meaning, kind-hearted donations to the people of New Orleans need to be regulated and guided.
An organization does exist in order to field and monitor donations. The Better Business Bureau (BBB), exists in order to “identify…bad management practices so that givers can wisely direct their donations” (Gallagher). The BBB is a watchdog group that enforces the IRS’s guidelines regarding charitable donations, tax deduction information inclusion on websites and advertisements, and financial statements issued by charities. It examines charities and aims to identify bad management in order to prevent fraud and misguided funds.
A possible solution to the management of charitable donations lies in the framework of the BBB. Creating a separate branch of this company just for New Orleans would offer the city a chance to field each suggested donation, evaluate its contribution to the community as a whole, and then respond quickly. Of course, members of the city would have to be a part of this new part of the company, but would require the guidance of seasoned ‘watchdogs’ from the BBB.
Allowing New Orleans to take control of its own donations – even in simply a supervisory capacity – shows that the rest of the world has faith both in their ability to recover from this disaster and to face future events preparedly. Part of rebuilding New Orleans is allowing a city to stand on its own, make its own decisions, try and fail at its own risk. Monetary donations are obviously necessary, but the citizens must be allowed to decide how the money and resources are to be distributed and for what purposes it should be used.

 Sources

Adams, Randy. Interview. Weekend Edition Saturday: Weighing Charity
Work in Katrina’s Wake”. Natl. Public radio. 26 August, 2006.

Gallagher, Tom. “Stringent Standards: Areas better Business Bureau Evaluates
Local Charities. BBB.org. 28 May, 2006. <www.richmond.bbb.org>
    
Leighninger, Leslie, and Taryn Lindhorst. “Endling Welfare as We Know it in
1960: Louisiana’s Suitable Home Law”. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2003.

“Pitt Introduces Green Housing Design” . Huffington Post: 31 Aug. 2006
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com>

Tinsley, Anna M. “Most Charities Used Donations Wisely, Leader of Watchdog
Group Says.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram :20 August 2006.
 

[More]

Charity/Welfare in New Orleans

"If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble."
~Bob Hope

The welfare system in New Orleans has never been a very well organized or planned institution. Currently, it is the responsibility of the Orleans Parish Health Department to oversee the welfare of its citizens. This has been in effect since the 1960’s, when New Orleans completely overhauled their system of welfare in order to lessen the number of citizens relying on their local government’s aid (Leighninger and Lindhorst). Reorganizing the system effectively cancelled the aid for 28 percent of those who had previously qualified. The redistribution of welfare was based on the state’s evaluation of “unsuitable” mothers (i.e. those who were unmarried or engaged in sexual activity outside of marriage) meant that 22, 501 children who had previously received welfare were suddenly cut off from this monetary aid (Leighninger and Lindhorst).
Since this time, the divisions between classes has been even more obvious in New Orleans, as all but 1,400 of the children who were no longer eligible for welfare were a part of the African-American community. Response to this surprisingly blatant racial statement came from all over the world; most surprisingly, an organization made up of British women shipped food and blankets to the children of New Orleans to help ease the tension that the welfare situation had created. Charity from churches, volunteer groups, and community leaders was instrumental in filling the void that the redistribution of welfare created.
 More recently, the onslaught of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have brought about brand new problems bring with them a whole new set of challenges. How should New Orleans respond to the overwhelming need for charity and welfare for its poor, homeless citizens? How can it deal with the national spotlight the media has placed on its citizens and their lack of resourced while still maintaining dignity and pride? How can the Health Department adequately aid homeless, sick, elderly, young, emotionally distraught, and/or orphaned people while trying to run a department funded entirely on the tax dollars paid by the very people who need help most? How can a city in crisis manage the donations of the entire world fairly and adequately?
There are no clear answers to these questions, but each one brings with it its own set of arguments and dialogues that need to happen in order for the city to rebuild. One of the main issues in this topic that needs to be addressed is: how does a city regulate or control the donations of well-meaning organizations and people without offending them or discouraging their generosity? How does a  city, in effect, say “Thanks for the cash, but we can’t just let you do whatever you want in our city or with our citizens”?
First response to Hurricane Katrina by organizations such as the Red Cross and FEMA provided efforts to save, heal, and relocate citizens to safer and higher ground. Soon after, donations began to pour into the city of New Orleans. In the ensuing weeks, over $425 billion was donated to various Hurricane Relief funds (Adams). The Red Cross raised over half of this money and, while they probably could have handled the whole situation better, they were still able to respond to victims of the disaster more adequately than any other agency.
The Red Cross and FEMA, to name just two of the many, set up semi-permanent base camps in badly damaged areas and, with the help of private donations, are continually working to rebuild homes and lives. Both are facing serious criticism after their initial handling of the crisis. The Red Cross and FEMA were simply unprepared for a disaster of such magnitude; they had no entry into the areas that were hit the hardest by the hurricane and they had no means of organization after their own offices in New Orleans were evacuated and flooded. When it finally responded, FEMA distributed a debit card to each citizen to be used for basic provisions; however, there was no system in effect to monitor the use of these cards. Also, due to quick evacuation, many people had no form of official identification or proof of citizenship. As a result, the emergency debit cards were handed out freely and some people took advantage of the situation (some cards were sold on ebay, some were used for alcohol and cigarettes, etc). Overall, both organizations faced an amount of criticism the likes of which neither had ever seen before: some of it deserved, some of it harsher than necessary.
Private donations are harder to regulate. There is no law governing how people donate to the citizens of New Orleans, nor is there a system in effect to suggest some appropriate guidelines for contributions. Charity Navigator, an organization created and directed by Ted Stamp, tracks how much money is donated to various charities after crises, and then monitors how the donations were spent. While reports exist post-911 that detail how much money was wasted or inappropriately distributed, there is no group or rule that guards those involved in future catastrophes against making the same mistakes (Tinsley).
 Celebrities, such as Oprah and Brad Pitt, have contributed to the rebuilding by sponsoring entire city blocks of housing developments for displaced citizens. The problems that lie in accepting such generous offers have begun to appear only recently. Oprah, for example, is facing criticism for her Angel Lane project because she built a block of houses not in New Orleans, but just outside Houston, Texas. Some are voicing dissatisfaction because she is not actually rebuilding the city, as she claims, but encouraging people to take up permanent residence in other states.
Brad Pitt’s section of “Greenola” homes are also under scrutiny because, while he is making a wonderful environmentally-friendly statement and contribution, the houses are not being built according to city codes or opinion. Community members had no say in the design and are not ready to move in to homes that “look like a spaceship that landed in the French Quarter” (“Pitt”). With Oprah taking tax-paying citizens out of the state and Pitt building houses that are not safe or culturally sensitive, it is becoming increasingly obvious that well-meaning, kind-hearted donations to the people of New Orleans need to be regulated and guided.
An organization does exist in order to field and monitor donations. The Better Business Bureau (BBB), exists in order to “identify…bad management practices so that givers can wisely direct their donations” (Gallagher). The BBB is a watchdog group that enforces the IRS’s guidelines regarding charitable donations, tax deduction information inclusion on websites and advertisements, and financial statements issued by charities. It examines charities and aims to identify bad management in order to prevent fraud and misguided funds.
A possible solution to the management of charitable donations lies in the framework of the BBB. Creating a separate branch of this company just for New Orleans would offer the city a chance to field each suggested donation, evaluate its contribution to the community as a whole, and then respond quickly. Of course, members of the city would have to be a part of this new part of the company, but would require the guidance of seasoned ‘watchdogs’ from the BBB.
Allowing New Orleans to take control of its own donations – even in simply a supervisory capacity – shows that the rest of the world has faith both in their ability to recover from this disaster and to face future events preparedly. Part of rebuilding New Orleans is allowing a city to stand on its own, make its own decisions, try and fail at its own risk. Monetary donations are obviously necessary, but the citizens must be allowed to decide how the money and resources are to be distributed and for what purposes it should be used.

 Sources

Adams, Randy. Interview. Weekend Edition Saturday: Weighing Charity
Work in Katrina’s Wake”. Natl. Public radio. 26 August, 2006.

Gallagher, Tom. “Stringent Standards: Areas better Business Bureau Evaluates
Local Charities. BBB.org. 28 May, 2006. <www.richmond.bbb.org>
    
Leighninger, Leslie, and Taryn Lindhorst. “Endling Welfare as We Know it in
1960: Louisiana’s Suitable Home Law”. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2003.

“Pitt Introduces Green Housing Design” . Huffington Post: 31 Aug. 2006
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com>

Tinsley, Anna M. “Most Charities Used Donations Wisely, Leader of Watchdog
Group Says.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram :20 August 2006.
 

[More]

 

Natural Disasters and Mental Health

Given the nature of natural disasters in general, it is no surprise that many victims will face psychological repercussions. Natural disasters are associated with elevated incidence of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and post traumatic stress disorder (cite). While not all those who experience such an event will develop psychological disturbances, it is assured that a certain percentage will face such issues. A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that, for adults who survive a natural disaster, as many as 30-40% may suffer from PTSD. In addition, 10-20% of rescue workers and 5-10% of the general population may exhibit symptoms of PTSD.

 

Katrina

While all natural disasters will affect survivors psychologically, Katrina presented a unique set of circumstances. First, the sheer size of the affected population is overwhelming. Katrina was one of the worst disasters to strike the United States and displaced as many as one million residents. If the study by the University of Michigan is accurate, as many as 400,000 people may suffer from PTSD as a result of Katrina. In addition, the ethnic and socioeconomic makeup of the victims further exacerbates the effects of Katrina and complicates the recovery process.

 

Extreme conditions

Katrina was not your average hurricane. While most people in hurricane prone regions may expect to evacuate, the average stay in a shelter may be no more than a few days. Katrina, however, has caused far more devastation than the “typical” hurricane. Even one year later, many people are still unable to return home. A recent study conducted by Harvard found that nearly 85% of Katrina survivors faced major financial, income, or housing losses. In addition to loss, many of the survivors faced further hardship in the days after the hurricane. Specifically, those survivors who sought shelter in the Superdome reportedly encountered terrible conditions, including violence and death.

 

African-Americans

Given the fact that a disproportionate majority of victims were African-Americans, many victims were especially vulnerable to Katrina’s devastating effects. African-Americans have historically faced institutional racism, leaving them with fewer networks and less resources than their white counterparts. African-Americans have also been found to be more susceptible to PTSD, but researchers are unsure of the cause of this elevated risk.

 

Socioeconomic status

Those who are economically disadvantaged are also especially vulnerable to the effects of a natural disaster. Nearly 20% of the victims were living in poverty before the hurricane hit, also increasing the devastation caused by Katrina. Low socioeconomic status may be a barrier to receiving adequate health care and, specifically, mental health care.

 

Children

The effects of the hurricane may be especially pronounced in children. A study conducted by Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center found that children who survived Katrina are afflicted with depression and PTSD rates similar to those found in adults (about one third). It is important to keep in mind that children are acutely aware of what is going on around them but may have less ability to process and understand what is happening. Children also have fewer venues to express negative emotions in appropriate ways. This may cause children to “act-out” their negative emotions in the form of behavioral problems. Somewhat surprising, it is actually older victims who have shown more resilience to the effects Katrina.

 

 

Current Mental Health Resources in New Orleans

Current status

It is evident that the need for mental health services in New Orleans is overwhelming. Although the health care system is facing challenges overall there are mental health resources for hurricane victims. Immediately after Katrina the American Psychological Association dispatched volunteer members of its Disaster Response Network. Teams of therapist, psychologists, and social workers who have been trained in disaster response have worked with the Red Cross to help victims cope with the circumstances. Additionally, the role of mental health care providers has largely been assumed by local church and community groups. Local churches have been host to a variety of social support groups for topics ranging from substance abuse to eating disorders to hurricane related topics (NOLA.com).

 

Need gaps

Clearly, based on the sheer number of victims, there is a great need for trained therapists in New Orleans. Unfortunately, the ethnic and cultural diversity among victims presents a unique challenge for those providing mental health services. Mental health providers must be culturally sensitive if they are going to be effective; Cultural misunderstanding may lead to further problems for victims. Priscilla P. Dass-Brailsford is an African-American psychologist who arrived in New Orleans shortly after Katrina. Based on her experiences she has suggested several guidelines for mental health responders (Law, 2006). First, responders “must be willing and open to discussing institutional racism and the role of power and oppression” (p. 40) They must “understand African-American’s worldview, language, communication style and values regarding community and interpersonal relationships” (p. 40). Finally, they must “acknowledge the role that religion and spirituality may play in healing” (p. 40).

In addition to cultural barriers, victims and mental health responders may face language barriers. There is a need for bilingual mental health professionals to treat victims who may speak limited English.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Chamberlain, J. (2005). Services still needed for Katrina’s youngest victims, survey finds. Monitor on Psychology, 37, 44

 

Law, B.M. (2006) Katrina’s cultural lessons: A psychologist recounts how cultural misunderstanding intensified the tragedy of Katrina. Monitor on Psychology, 37, 40

 

Reuters (2006, August 28) Mental Illness up among Katrina survivors, study finds

 

Self-help calendar (2006, October 5). retrieved October 15, 2006 from NOLA.com. Website: http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/library-113/1160034376199750.xml?ZZLIBB&coll=1&thispage=18

 

Stambor, Z. (2005). Psychological support in Katrina's wake. Monitor on Psychology, 36, 24

[More]

Pre-Katrina Status 

Status pre-Katrina? Most big cities have inadequate mental health care systems

Natural Disasters and Mental Health

Given the nature of natural disasters in general, it is no surprise that many victims will face psychological repercussions. Natural disasters are associated with elevated incidence of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and post traumatic stress disorder (cite). While not all those who experience such an event will develop psychological disturbances, it is assured that a certain percentage will face such issues. A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that, for adults who survive a natural disaster, as many as 30-40% may suffer from PTSD. In addition, 10-20% of rescue workers and 5-10% of the general population may exhibit symptoms of PTSD. (Cite). MORE

Katrina

While all natural disasters will affect survivors psychologically, Katrina presented a unique set of circumstances. First, the sheer size of the affected population is overwhelming. Katrina was one of the worst disasters to strike the United States and displaced as many as one million residents. If the study by the University of Michigan is accurate, as many as 400,000 people may suffer from PTSD as a result of Katrina. In addition, the ethnic and socioeconomic makeup of the victims further exacerbates the effects of Katrina and complicates assistance.

 

Extreme conditions

Katrina was not your average hurricane. People are still unable to return home, even a year later. Many suffered total loss. Extreme conditions in the superdome.

 

African-Americans

Given the fact that an overwhelming majority of victims were African-Americans, many victims were especially vulnerable to Katrina’s devastating effects. Institutional racism, higher rates of PTSD among African-Americans.

 

Socioeconomic status

Those who are economically disadvantaged are also especially vulnerable to the effects of a natural disaster. __% of the victims were living in poverty – lack of support networks, resources, etc.

 

Children

Depression and ptsd rates similar to those found in adults (about 1/3). Children are acutely aware of what is going on around them but have less understanding about it. Fewer venues to express negative emotions in appropriate ways – leads to behavioral problems, etc. Older victims show more resilience.

 

Current Mental Health Resources in New Orleans

Current status

APA’s Disaster Response Network

Groups (AA, etc)

Social workers, hospitals, etc

 

Need gaps

Sheer number of victims = need for larger number of therapists

Culturally sensitive responders (diverse cultural backgrounds of victims, effects of differences in culture, advice for responders from an African American psychologist).

Language barriers (need for therapists who speak Spanish, asian languages)

 

[More]

made a few small changes. I'm not familiar with the APA style. I didn't know if i should fix some of the sentences. Henry

[More]

Pre-Katrina Status 

Status pre-Katrina? Most big cities have inadequate mental health care systems

Natural Disasters and Mental Health

Given the nature of natural disasters in general, it is no surprise that many victims will face psychological repercussions. Natural disasters are associated with elevated incidence of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and post traumatic stress disorder (cite). While not all those who experience such an event will develop psychological disturbances, it is assured that a certain percentage will face such issues. A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that, for adults who survive a natural disaster, as many as 30-40% may suffer from PTSD. In addition, 10-20% of rescue workers and 5-10% of the general population may exhibit symptoms of PTSD. (Cite). MORE

Katrina

While all natural disasters will affect survivors psychologically, Katrina presented a unique set of circumstances. First, the sheer size of the affected population is overwhelming. Katrina was one of the worst disasters to strike the United States and displaced as many as one million residents. If the study by the University of Michigan is accurate, as many as 400,000 people may suffer from PTSD as a result of Katrina. In addition, the ethnic and socioeconomic makeup of the victims further exacerbates the effects of Katrina and complicates assistance.

 

Extreme conditions

Katrina was not your average hurricane. People are still unable to return home, even a year later. Many suffered total loss. Extreme conditions in the superdome

 

African-Americans

Given the fact that an overwhelming majority of victims were African-Americans, many victims were especially vulnerable to Katrina’s devastating effects. Institutional racism, higher rates of PTSD among African-Americans

 

Socioeconomic status

Those who are economically disadvantaged are also especially vulnerable to the effects of a natural disaster. __% of the victims were living in poverty – lack of support networks, resources, etc.

 

Children

Depression and ptsd rates similar to those found in adults (about 1/3). Children are acutely aware of what is going on around them but have less understanding about it. Fewer venues to express negative emotions in appropriate ways – leads to behavioral problems, etc. Older victims show more resilience.

 

Current Mental Health Resources in New Orleans

Current status

APA’s Disaster Response Network

Groups (AA, etc)

Social workers, hospitals, etc

 

Need gaps

Sheer number of victims = need for larger number of therapists

Culturally sensitive responders (diverse cultural backgrounds of victims, effects of differences in culture, advice for responders from an African American psychologist).

Language barriers (need for therapists who speak Spanish, asian languages)

 

[More]

Hello Dana, this is henry. i don't see my blogs on the website so i don't know if you got them. basically what i said was that i liked what i read, but you'll need to add a cost/benefit analysis. if you need help, we can all complete it as a group. see you in class.

[More]

Hi this is Henry again. if you are having trouble with the cost/benefit- we can put it together in class

[More]

this sounds great, but you'll need the cost/benefit - remember you don't have to be specific about the numbers. Great work. Henry

[More]