Houston Hospitality Touches Louisiana Lives

The tears just won't stop for Francine* when she shares the story of her son's heroism in flooded New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The good news is: both the tears and the sharing are part of the healing process.

Francine shared her story with a new friend she made through Houston's Neighbors to Neighbors program. The City of Houston program partners with Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston to enlist the city's faith community as welcoming neighbors. Participants help welcome Houston's new neighbors -- the 200,000-plus evacuees from the devastated Gulf Coast, who still reside in Houston.

Welcoming neighbors help new neighbors familiarize themselves with the area, solve problems faster and reestablish themselves as residents in the Bayou City.

Welcoming neighbors also listen.

Francine dabs her streaming tears with the back of her hand. Her son developed a hand wound as he swam house to house, helping his neighbors escape the flood, she reports. Visits to local hospitals have not helped his hand heal. He needs a personal physician. He also needs mental health care to cope with what his mother believes is post traumatic stress.

Margaret*, a member of a Union Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, who is trained to look for signs of distress among new neighbors, offers a tissue -- and information about where Francine can turn. Then together, they start calling clinics.

New neighbors' needs vary. Some seek leads on jobs or want to know about area schools for their children. Others just want to know the best place to buy groceries or where to take the kids for entertainment on the weekends. Matched with welcoming neighbors, they are navigating Houston systems faster and more productively.

"This has truly been a blessing," Francine tells Margaret and grasps her hand tightly. "My son is a hero. He helped all those people. He just needs some help now, too."

If your congregation would like to participate in the Neighbors to Neighbors program, contact Jessica Starkschall at Interfaith Ministries to learn about our one-hour training presentation and how to be "matched" to an apartment building near your place of worship.

Individuals may sign up to be welcoming neighbors at www.neighbors2neighbors.org or by calling our call center at 713-533-9706.

*Names changed to protect the privacy of N2N participants.

Rev. Patricia Case
Communication Consultant
On loan from Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis