10.31.06
UNITED WAY OF GREATER KNOXVILLE VOLUNTEERS RELEASE OVER $98,000 FOR CONTINUATION OF LOCAL HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF PROJECT

United Way of Greater Knoxville (UWGK) volunteers have awarded over $98,000 in additional emergency relief funding to Community Action Committee (CAC), to cover on-going case management for Gulf Coast evacuees still remaining in Knoxville.

"Thanks to United Way donors, we were fortunate to have dollars available in our emergency relief fund to address these on-going needs," David Williams, United Way Community Impact chairman said. "United Way volunteers are focused on creating a lasting impact in the lives of the people we help. The needs of the evacuees have been difficult and complex, and we commend the case workers who have stuck with the families to help them rebuild their lives."

In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina's devastation of the Gulf Coast region, nearly 10,000 individuals sought refuge in Knoxville. United Way community partners, American Red Cross, Community Action Committee and Catholic Charities, among many others, responded quickly to provide management of these cases. While our community has invested a tremendous amount of time, money and other resources and have successfully helped a large number of people attain stability, it is estimated that today, there are still over 270 households (app. 500-600 individuals) of former Gulf Coast citizens remaining in Knox County. At the end of October 2006, 116 of those families will be losing FEMA assistance. Local service providers do believe we are in the final phase of helping these people in our area in their recovery from the Gulf Coast catastrophe.

This past January, UWGK released $90,000 of a United Way of America grant to CAC to assist in the local recovery efforts. These dollars will be expended by the end of this year. The additional funding for CAC is a one-year extension of that support to provide on-going case work that focuses on affordable housing, job placement and income stabilization. All households have been assigned a lead case manager thereby reducing unnecessary trips and phone calls to the service delivery system and reducing the high costs of providing these services. In addition, by working through a lead case manager, local agencies are better able to coordinate case management and significantly reduce the unnecessary costs associated with the duplication of services and resources. Continuation of this project will provide a direct savings for the emergency medical community, the criminal justice system and the social service network.

United Way is dedicated to the recovery efforts in our local community and continues to support local agencies providing direct services to these families. By awarding these additional dollars, UWGK is working to fulfill its mission of bringing together resources to improve the lives of people in our community by helping them achieve their potential for self-sufficiency.

United Way of Greater Knoxville is a local, independent organization dedicated to improving lives by building a better community. In partnership with 50 agencies, local business, community leaders and ordinary citizens, United Way tackles issues that matter most. By working together, we provide a network of services addressing Knoxville's most basic needs while working toward lasting change.

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