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AHF Key Accomplishments and Notable Events

• Immediately began assisting Katrina families from the Gulf Coast who were staying in South Florida hotels. Provided food, clothing and child-care & personal-hygiene needs. With the assistance of a local TV station, kept one hotel from evicting 10 Katrina families to make room for higher-rate customers.

• Worked in / set up information tables in three (3) different Red Cross shelters providing Katrina and Wilma relief. Spent three (3) nights in a Biloxi shelter.

• November 2005 - led an effort to get 12 Wilma-displaced families out of a local Red Cross shelter and into secure housing. Done in collaboration with Broward County, Local 10-TV (ABC affiliate), and other local businesses. These families also received new furniture, appliances, Thanksgiving dinners and $100 Publix gift certificates.

• Thanksgiving & Christmas 2005 – made sure that many hurricane-displaced families were not deprived of their holidays.
• Numerous Thanksgiving food baskets were distributed to families courtesy of the Outreach Ministry of St. Mark Catholic Church and Publix.
• Delivered Christmas trees to 25 families. Trees were courtesy of the Men of St. Mark.
• Through AHF, the Miami HEAT invited 26 children affected by Katrina & Wilma (and their parents) to be their guests at the Christmas day game with the L.A. Lakers. The kids met the players at center court and received bags of gifts. Many said “it was their best Christmas ever.”
• A local magazine, City Limits, ran a toy drive on behalf of AHF. Toys were given to 86 children made homeless by Katrina & Wilma.

• January 2006 - Began working closely with the South Florida HUD office and their field director.

• Also in January 2006, developed a partnership with The Cooperative Feeding Program (CFP). CFP became the fiscal 501c3 agent for AHF (AHF had not yet received 501c3 status).

• In March 2006, 93 families were still housed in FEMA trailers in C. B. Smith and Easterlin Parks. All of these families are now in permanent housing elsewhere.

• Established “Hurricane Relief & Restoration Fairs.” Required the collaboration of 14 agencies/organizations willing to assist Wilma-displaced families. First fair was held on March 23, 2006.
  
  

  “Our office looks forward to continuing to work with your organization in assisting with finding housing solutions for disaster survivors both now and in the future.” Armando Fana Field Office Director HUD

• March 24, 2006 – Honored by Local NBC-6 with their “Spirit of South Florida” award.

• April 2006 - Received first grant. The United Way of Broward & Carnival Cruise Lines awarded AHF $25,000 towards housing assistance for families displaced by Hurricane Wilma. Subsequently received additional United Way funding towards the purchase of essential furniture for displaced families.

• Also in April 2006, began working closely with FEMA’s Florida director and staff.

• On April 30, 2006, the Miami Herald, in their “They Need a Place to Live” series, highlighted an AHF family and specifically listed AHF in their “Smart Box” (help box).

• Invited by the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) to speak at their national convention in Raleigh, NC on May 10, 2006. Conducted a workshop on “Crisis Housing Solutions”.

• On May 23, 2006, teamed with “Majic 102.7/The Majic Children’s Fund” and “Neighbors 4 Neighbors/ CBS 4” to host a full-day radio-thon to benefit the hurricane-displaced families living in C.B. Smith and Easterlin Parks at that time. Over $35,000 was raised through this event.

• September 2006 - selected by the Orange Bowl Committee as one of four (4) hurricane relief agencies to receive funding from their 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl game.

• Fall 2006 - Salvation Army of Ft. Lauderdale offered to match all Salvation Army Family Store vouchers purchased to aid the survivors of Hurricanes Katrina & Wilma, doubling buying power.

• AHF volunteers, Bob & Linda Negron, are recognized as AHF’s “2006 Volunteers of the Year” at Volunteer Broward’s Annual Volunteer Awards presentation.

• Have been invited to join several local committees and boards. These include:
• Hurricane Preparation & Recovery Committee – Coordinating Council of Broward
• Broward Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD)
• Broward County Long-Term Recovery Coalition (LTRC)
• Million Meals Committee
• Broward Multicultural Board

“On behalf of the Broward County Long term Recovery Coalition (LTRC), thank you for the significant impact your organization has had on survivors of Hurricane Wilma throughout the past year.” Douglas E. Weber Former President & CEO United Way of Broward County

 

• Created and present “Hurricane Relief & Restoration” Workshops. Each family receiving housing assistance can attend workshops on Employment and Financial/Money Management.

• June 2007 – over a four (4) month period of time, 170 families displaced by Hurricane Wilma obtained secure housing; 53 of these families were enrolled in the “Modified Sales Program.” This was a collaborative community effort involving AHF and over a dozen agencies.

WORK IN PROGRESS

• “Modified Sales Program” – embarked upon this program with FEMA’s Florida office. FEMA makes available to AHF mobile homes that were previously used for hurricane relief (i.e., temporary housing).  Cost to AHF for these refurbished units is $500 each. AHF, in turn, places these trailers with qualified families for the same cost of $500. AHF may also provide additional assistance to the families, such as lot deposits, hook-up expense, short-term rent, utilities deposits, et al, on an as needed basis. Each case is evaluated on its own merit. AHF is the only agency in Broward County working with FEMA on this program. To date, 53 families have been enrolled.

  “We owe Adopt a Hurricane Family a great debt of gratitude. The agency (FEMA) could not have concluded the 2005 housing mission in 18 months without organizations like yours helping families affected by Hurricane Wilma.” Scott R. Morris Director FEMA Florida Long-Term Recovery Office

• Stonebridge Project - Stonebridge is a condominium development in Lauderhill, Florida, devastated by Hurricane Wilma. All buildings in this development sustained significant damage during Hurricane Wilma and were subsequently condemned, leaving approximately 400 families without homes. In addition to the costs of temporary housing, many of these families are still paying for mortgages, maintenance fees and special assessments. AHF is presently working with the Red Cross and Broward Human Services, as well as the association boards and the residents, to determine what assistance can be provided. Other agencies waiting in the wings to assist once a determination has been made. Currently in the midst of a needs assessment with the individual residents. This information, in turn, will be used to seek necessary funding and to share with appropriate agencies that can assist in returning these people to their homes.

  “We at the Town of Davie’s Housing and Community Development Department fully support the Adopt-A-Hurricane Family organization and would highly recommend their services to any other agency that needs this type of assistance for their residents.” Shirley Taylor-Prakelt, Director Town of Davie Housing and Community Development

• Katrina Families in South Florida – AHF is presently still working with 36 families locally that were displaced from the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina. Further, just identified an additional 139 Katrina families in need through the International Rescue Committee.

· AHF has over 30 volunteers and has worked with more than 200 families affected by the hurricanes of 2005.