By Seth Fiegerman, Mainstreet.com August 23, 2010 It took Charles King and his family just a couple of hours to leave their house in New Orleans on Aug. 27, 2005, but they have been struggling for five years since then to find home again. It was two days...
“The door is open!” I didn’t understand what she was saying until I looked at the front door of the house and saw it resting two-feet wide. Did we walk out of the house and leave the front door open? That doesn’t sound right, not with...
When outreach workers first met Grace Bailey, she couldn’t talk to them, but her vulnerabilities were clear. Grace had just had surgery to repair her face and jaw after a severe beating on the abandoned streets of an abandoned neighborhood. It was obvious to the...
He has been featured in major newspapers and his artwork hangs on permanent display in the Louisiana State Museum. Tommie Mabry’s stream of consciousness writings, written on the walls of a flooded public housing complex, captured the immediate confusion and terror of a city besieged...
She had to get to the school. As Carrie pushed through chest-deep water, she knew that the second floor of the school would provide safety. Before she reached the school, she was knocked off her feet and hit by a heavy piece of debris, pummeling...
A veteran with extensive military training, Stephen was trained to survive in brutal conditions – insect infestations, brutal heat, soaking rains, searing cold – surrounded by people who may wish to do you harm. However, he never thought he would have to use these survival...
Her five children, ages 8 to 17, have lived through their mother’s hell. Yet when they kiss her goodnight, they see a survivor. A victim of numerous rapes and unremitting domestic violence who turned to drugs for solace – Wendy has made the changes in...
Today's blog entry is written by Kathleen North, UNITY Director of Supportive Housing Registry. He smells like a homeless old man, this 4-year-old boy. He has oozing bug bites on his arms and legs. His eyes are beautiful and engaging as he looks up eagerly...
When your job requires you to keep your shoes dirty, avoid florescent lighting and develop a nascent tolerance for mosquitoes and cockroaches, you pay a lot of attention to the weather. This week New Orleans has been sucker punched with the outer rain bands from...
Looking back on your life, has it taken the linear path you intended? Did you end up with the career, husband/wife, children and dream home you expected? Was the path easy? Did you finish high school, work straight through college and professional school, notching everything...