by Kevin Caruso
Many Hurricane Katrina survivors have e-mailed me because they are in need of housing.
First, let me say to all of the Hurricane Katrina survivors, God bless you. We love you. We support you. And we want the best for you.
There are several organizations that are connecting survivors with people who want to share their home. Katrina Help.com and Project Care.com are currently recommending Share Your Home.org. They are doing an excellent job in placing survivors in homes and managing all incoming information.
And they are very thorough with their screening process.
PLEASE keep in mind, however, that there is an inherent risk in living in the home of ANYONE that you do not know. Although the vast majority of citizens who are opening their homes are great people with big hearts, you never know what person or family might be problematic.
So you need to accept 100% of the risk for staying with people that you do not know.
Exercise caution.
And if you happen to get placed with a person or family that you are not compatible with or who are problematic, contact the organization immediately and move out.
With all of that being said, please keep in mind that it is relatively unlikely to encounter a serious problem with a person or family you are living with, but you should be aware that risks do exist; and you should be ready to act if a serious problem arises.
Also, when you do meet the person or family that you will be staying with, please establish open and thorough communication with them. Ask them what the rules of the house are. And always respect their property and their rules. If you ever have a doubt whether you can or cannot do something, ask your host family.
Please visit the Share Your Home.org site for more information:
Share Your Home.org
God bless you.
I love you.
Take care,
Kevin Caruso
Suicide.org
Founder, Executive Director, Editor-in-Chief
(Katrina Help.com is a Suicide.org website.)