RELIEF SUPPORT INFORMATION, IN METRO ATLANTA, FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY THE DISASTER!

Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services:

They will help with finding information on getting children into schools. For Children that need to go to school mention the Homeless Provisions Act.  It allows you to put your kids in school without the need for documentation. Help with other areas of needs: work, etc

Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless is taking contributions as well as providing food and clothing

          1035 Donnelly Avenue SW

          404-755-3353

Henry County Board of Commissioners and several churches in the area are collecting the following items:

Cases of individual bottles of water

Personal hygiene items such as toothpaste, soap, shampoo, diapers and baby formula

Drop off points in the area:

          Henry County Administration Building

          140 Henry Parkway in McDonough (drop off point inside the west entrance)

          Eagles Landing First Baptist Church                 

          2400 N. Highway 42, McDonough (church office)

          New Covenant Church of God

          154 Jonesboro Rd, one mile west of McDonough Square (underneath canopy)

          Community Bible Church

          2001 Jonesboro Road, Stockbridge

          Shoal Creek Baptist Church

          99 Locust Grove, Griffin Road in Locust Grove

Summary of Assistance & Resources provided by the Georgia Department of Human Resources

DHR Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) are offering the following assistance and resources:

Food Stamps and Emergency Food Assistance

The Department of Family and Children Services is providing emergency food stamp assistance at local DFCS offices around the state.

Storm families who are not currently receiving food stamp benefits should contact the local DFCS office in their temporary county of residence.  Families will be treated as Georgia residents and will be able to receive food stamp benefits at the county DFCS office.

Families who are currently receiving food stamp benefits in their home states will be provided with emergency food supplies in cooperation with the local community food banks. 

Local DFCS county offices will also serve as temporary addresses for recipients to receive replacement food stamp Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.

TANF Assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)

The Department of Family and Children services is working closely with authorities in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana to help issue Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Call 1-800-869-1150 or call county office.

Division of Public Health’s Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Branch is temporarily waiving residency, identification and income eligibility of WIC food coupons.  WIC food coupons only cover nutritional food supplements for children

Pharmacy Assistance

Public Health’s Office of Pharmacy is working closely with local pharmacies to fill prescriptions for up to three days and working closely with storm refugees to process Medicaid eligibility requirements.

The Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases (MHDDAD)

Is dispatching crisis counselors to American Red Cross shelters in Newton, Muscogee, Coweta, Troupe, Fulton, Dougherty, Richmond and Bibb counties to aid those who may need or requested counseling.

HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORT

To locate friends and family members visit: www.nokr.org (Next of Kin Registry)

Or call

1-866-GET-INFO (Alabama)                             225-925-3745 – Louisiana

1-866-438-4636-Mississippi

Red Cross: Call Center 404-870-4440

Red Cross: Volunteer Services 404-870-4425

Red Cross: Shelter locations

                 5193 Washington Street, Covington, GA (The GA Future Farmers’ Association)

For information on how to get assistance 404-294-2323. DeKalb County Human & Community Development Department 404-286-3347

To register for unemployment benefits in Alabama, Mississippi or Louisiana, call the

Georgia Department of Labor at 1-877-709-8185 or visit www.dol.state.ga.us

To report price gouging call the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs 404-651-8600 or 1-800-869-1123

Shelters have advised us that they need counseling for depressed and distraught guests who have been displaced by the hurricane. The Red Cross cannot accept help from any counselors or clergy who have not participated in Red Cross training. The Red Cross will hold an abbreviated training for clergy or counselors who would be willing to be on call when this need arises. Please reply to this address if you can assist in this way: redcrosstraining@wji.com Please include your name, church name, city, Zip Code and telephone number.

www.connections.org Yesterday in a press conference Gov. Purdue asked faith groups to prepare to assist in long term resettlement of evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. The first step is to register your congregation and a point person at the above web site. The next step will be a questionnaire to ascertain what your congregation would be willing and able to do.

Turning chaos into creation A Georgia faith-based advisory group has been formed- From Relief to Resettlement. This group will seek advice from the faith community and keep the faith community advised of developments. Roy Craft is co-chair of this group. If you have identified issues pertinent to the faith community please contact him at rcraft@rccatl.org.

We would like to maintain a list of church and community-based shelters and locations feeding evacuees. Please e mail us at ecarter@rccatl.org if we may list your help site.

If you know of any families that were directly affected by Hurricane Katrina and are in need of housing, Dekalb Housing are working to place them into homes with or without section 8. For additional information, you can contact Kimberly Griffith at the number below.
 
Also, please let the families know that they can go to DFACS and receive food stamps upon arrival.
 
The number to Dekalb Housing is 404 270-2600; have him/her call or come down. We are located at 750 Commerce Drive (corner of Commerce and Church). We are doing our best to place them somewhere immediately.