I have started a new website to help the refugees of Katrina to find some volunteer homes to live in. I need all the support and help I can get from people wanting to be moderators and take part in tracking down information and news updates and such, I also need help getting the word out about the website. If you would like to help please head to http://www.katrinahomes.org and check it out. The site is in the very early stages, but I am hoping to make it an intimate alternative to the refugees who are dealing with mass numbers. Either way, please help pass on the information to ANYONE you know may need a place to stay or ANYONE who may be interested in hosting a refugee or family. I am also interested in feedback and ways to improve the site, so any and all help is appreciated. The site may catch on, it might not... but it's worth a shot. Thanks for your help.
Ok, ummm... uuuhhh... I don't mean to sound funny, although it will... how do "refugees" or "evacuees" see this web site? They have no computer or much less Internet Access, right? Are you planning to do flyers advertising your site, or how? Just wondering... This seems like it would have worked better in conjunction with a radio or TV station... I don't want to say it's a bad idea, because it could work... if I find some time to help out I can.
You should add Austin, and contact Nick Papatonis who's corrdinating the same in Austin: From Nick Papatonis, Producer, Austin Access TV: "We are looking for people who have extra room in their homes to open their doors and take in a displaced family from Hurricane Katrina. We expect hundreds to be relocating to this area soon. Currently, as of this writing, there are 50 people who need housing and are in a local shelter. We have been informed the Red Cross is opening a shelter in Austin as well, but shelters are a temporary solution to people rebuilding their lives. We have opened a phone line -- 512-440-7965 and an email address -- Katrinahelp@aol.com -- to coordinate this effort to help find temporary or permanent housing for these people." As of this morning I think that they had over 400 homes. And FWIW I think this deserves it's own thread. He's asking us for suggestions.
Yeah, Cohen, sorry about that... I think my wife just pointed out that they will have a "Family Relocating Center" with computers inside the Astrodome for people to find their families. So yeah... TV and RADIO STATIONS better hear about this, svpernaut
I think a simple form that people with housing to offer could fill out would be helpful. That way people looking for homes can just search that information instead of reading through many threads that may not be relevant, if their using the areas set up in shelters they may have a limited amount of time on the computers. Just keep track of the city, what type of residence it is, how many people can stay there, if there would be any costs associated with it, how long it would be available, and contact information. Then once somebody claims it remove it from the listings so others won't have to sort through it while looking. As far as spreading the word, if you could get a link to it posted on a site with a lot of traffic that would help. I tried submitting it to Fark but didn't have an account. If you need any help with programming let me know.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9175917 ]Thousands Offer Shelter to Katrina's Victims[/URL] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9175917
Sorry for the lack of updates on this project, I've been extremely busy with it. Just an update, our site has grown tremendously and is getting offers and help from all over North America... This site is geared towards Americans wanting to help NOW rather then wait for the Red Cross and FEMA to act. It is a much more personal site then your massive "list your info and run" sites such as hurricanehousing.org. Anyway, thanks for any help... if you volunteer at any of the area shelters PLEASE let the evacuees know about us. We have people at many of the smaller shelters getting the word out. We have found that at this time most evacuees could really care less about getting immediate housing, they are more worried about lost loved ones and friends... but we will be here when they're ready in the coming weeks. We're also working on getting background checks with a Houston area company on hosts/evacuees if needed... as you can imagine many families are very wary of opening their homes to strangers if they have small children at home, and the same can be said for the evacuees with children staying with strangers. A quick glimpse of the Louisiana Sex Offender database makes you think twice, and we won't to ease that worry... and as far as I know we are the only organization worried about this. Anyways, Thanks.
