ELCA NEWS SERVICE May 28, 2009 Lutheran Social Services Gets $24.3 Million to Help Hurricane Survivors 09-124-MRC/KK* CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The disaster response program of Lutheran Social Services of the South, Inc. (LSS), Austin, Texas, received a $24.3 million grant to provide case management services to more than 13,000 survivors of Hurricane Ike. The survivors live in 16 counties of the state devastated by the hurricane in the fall of 2008. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency, administered by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, awarded the grant in May to Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response. It also awarded a separate grant of $331,000 to LSS Disaster Response for training case workers in 34 counties. "We are humbled by the opportunity to once again provide much needed services to disaster victims, especially those who have the least resources as they work toward rebuilding their lives," said Kurt M. Senske, LSS president and CEO. "This is an excellent opportunity to take the lessons learned after Hurricane Katrina to work shoulder-to-shoulder with survivors and help them get back on their feet as quickly as possible," Senske said. Case management services for hurricane survivors will begin in June. Case managers and representatives from local partner agencies work together with hurricane survivors to assess needs and to develop realistic, concrete recovery plans for affected families, according to an LSS news release. The LSS Disaster Response case management program, called "Recovery for Ike Survivors Enterprise (RISE)," is designed to support and advocate for more than 13,000 survivors of the hurricane. Case management services through RISE are available from a network of nine local agencies in 16 counties of southeast Texas. LSS Disaster Response and its partner agencies will work closely with local government officials, community organizations and others involved in hurricane relief efforts to match families in need with goods and services. "Case managers provide assistance in navigating the complex bureaucracy in disaster response and, at the same, they offer emotional support and a listening ear," said the Rev. Kevin A. Massey, director, Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). LDR is a collaborative ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. LSS is an affiliate of LDR. "LSS has really distinguished itself in providing the highest quality disaster case management services," Massey said. LSS was "a valued partner in the Katrina Aid Today Case Management Consortium, in which Lutheran Disaster Response took part. We are really proud that the Lutheran social ministry expertise in providing human service ministry in disaster response is being recognized in this way." Following Hurricane Katrina, which struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, LSS Disaster Response worked with more than 10,600 families in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi to develop recovery plans and access more than $6.8 million in resources. - - - Information about Lutheran Social Services of the South is at http://www.LSSS.org on the Web. Katherine Kerr is vice president for public relations at Lutheran Social Services of the South. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog