PLATFORM : Neighborly Help

In the aftermath of a disaster, relief agencies can’t make everyone “whole.” That’s where the local citizenry can step in, not just to help with immediate needs, but with the gaps that surface later.

The Laguna Fire Relief Coalition, for example, offered short-term financial assistance to survivors in need. Now, many of them are finding that insurance, loans and government programs won’t cover their costs of recovery.

Together with the Community Clinic, we continue to administer FEMA-subsidized mental health programs, such as crisis counseling. We are replacing fire-destroyed tools, enabling some folks to resume the business of making a living, and we are still distributing food, clothing and other supplies.

But it takes a lot more than just handing out canned goods and cash to heal a community. So our extensive network of volunteers maintains close contact with people who were once their neighbors, but who suddenly found themselves with no neighborhoods. This personal link to the community, while intangible, is perhaps the most important recovery effort of all. Because it’s not buildings that define a neighborhood, it’s people.