Georgia Mjartan, Executive Director
When people become homeless due to natural disasters,
there are systems in place to take care of the impacted
men, women, and children in the short term. National
nonprofits like the Red Cross and Salvation Army along
with local groups including the faith community and
smaller nonprofits do a great job of stepping in with
short-term assistance like hotel vouchers, basic needs
provision, and even temporary housing. Thankfully,
these short-term emergency solutions are often all that
a disaster victim needs. Many are able to rebuild and
re-establish their lives. People with insurance rebuild
their homes. People whose places of work were destroyed
can often find other jobs.
The role that Our House plays in the lives of disaster
victims is more long term. In the case of Hurricane
Katrina, we didn‘t have many evacuees who came into
our shelter in the weeks after the disaster. During that
time, the evacuees who had come to Arkansas were
receiving support from FEMA and others. But when the
hotel vouchers ran out and there was no job and no
home to return to, many of the people who had come to
Arkansas stayed. People who were just barely making it
in New Orleans, working in restaurant and hotel jobs,
renting an apartment, with no insurance—Katrina left
these people homeless not only in the short term but also