Hundreds still need help with hurricane recovery

VENICE — There's more work to be done.

That was the message Friday at the latest meeting of United Way South Sarasota County's Long-Term Recovery Group.

"We still have people in need," UWSSC President/CEO Barbara Cruz said. "We're just going to keep going."

So far, 30 houses have been rebuilt and the families re-homed, UWSSC Chief Operations Officer Chris Johnson said. Four are in progress.

"We're seeing the fruits of our labor," Cruz said. "People are getting back in homes."

But there are still 53 open cases between the two UWSSC case managers, Disaster Recovery and Resiliency Director Hilda Dutton said.

St. Vincent de Paul and Catholic Charities have 94 more.

A new case manager at The Salvation Army is starting to take cases, but there are 50 unassigned and more coming in from people reaching out for the first time months after suffering hurricane damage, she said.

It can be difficult to connect with new clients, she said because they're used to people trying to take advantage of them.

The reward, she said, is seeing people moving back into their homes.

That happened twice last week, Dutton said.

One family was a single mother with two teenagers whose mold-ridden house needed a new roof and new floors, and a new water system it was scheduled to get Friday, she said.

The other house is owned by an elderly couple with disabilities, she said. The husband has been hospitalized 29 times since Hurricane Ian, possibly due to mold in the dwelling, she said, and the couple had been close to moving into assisted living.

Move-backs are commemorated with a "last nail" ceremony that "just about makes you cry every time," Dutton said.

Case managers are "fierce advocators" for their clients, filling needs of "heart, mind, body and soul," Cruz said.

Johnson alerted the group to the pending availability of Resilient SRQ money for home reconstruction and rehabilitation.

The county will start accepting applications for $40 million allocated for that purpose — and $15 million in reimbursement funds for work already performed — next month.

Owners of manufactured homes are eligible for funding, he said. They haven't expressly been part of most discussions of the program.

The county will have case managers in the UWSSC office part time when the housing program opens, he said.

"It's wonderful that we can offer people help with opportunity," Johnson said.

Other takeaways

Also discussed Friday:

• World Renew, which has been handling construction projects, will be pulling out for the summer soon, Johnson said, but will return in September.

However, he said, the group will leave forever in April. Mennonite Disaster Recovery is coming in for a few months and will also be working with World Renew later and continuing after it leaves, he said.

• John Gregory, of Samaritan Counseling Service of the Gulf Coast, said his agency has no-cost counseling available for hurricane victims. People can take up to 10 sessions for free.

• Lynne Stickley, Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System Emergency Management coordinator, said a decision should be made soon on which of SMH's two North Port properties will be the site of a planned 108-bed hospital.

• Need isn't diminishing but funding sources are becoming scarce, UWSSC CFO Dorothy Wyche said. Cruz concluded the meeting with a plea for attendees to share any leads they might be aware of.