Door-to-door post-Katrina counseling critical to recovery

Published: 2006-08-09

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- The long haul is here. Every day, teams of counselors and social workers with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans visit hurricane-devastated neighborhoods and go door-to-door asking people simple questions related to complex problems. Behind every door is a Katrina survivor with his or her sobering story. The stories haven't changed much since Katrina hit nearly a year ago, and that is perhaps the saddest indicator of a community in the midst of a collective mental health crisis. By early July, social workers and counselors with Catholic Charities' Louisiana Spirit outreach program, had personally visited 65,000 people and reported spikes in domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, depression and suicidal tendencies. Now the program is in danger of elimination because the Federal Emergency Management Agency is refusing to pay for certain previously approved and budgeted services, leaving Catholic Charities with a $20,000 daily shortfall and an uncertain future.

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