Minutes – January 9, 2006 – 2:00 pm

Long-Term Recovery Committee of Southwestern Indiana Meeting

 

18 groups with 28 persons attending.

Randy Anderson, UMCOR, Chairman

Shane O'Neill, Presbyterian Disaster Relief, Vice-Chairman

Teresa M. Julian, American Red Cross, Secretary

James Collins, Catholic Charities, Treasurer

Groups Attending: Adventist Community Services American Red Cross CAPE Catholic Charities Epworth UMC Evansville Tri-State Assn., UCC Habitat of Evansville HCRN (Hope Crisis Response Network) Lighthouse Mission of Faith Newburgh UMC Presbyterian Disaster Assistance St. John the Baptist Catholic Church St. Paul's Lutheran Church St. Vincent dePaul Society Thrivent Financial Lutheran Tri-State Food Bank UMCOR United Way

 

Attending:

Shane O'Neill                     Presbyterian Disaster Assistance / Case Manager

Teresa Julian                       American Red Cross volunteer / Case Manager

James Collins                      Catholic Charities / Case Manager

Stephanie Norrick              United Way

Joyce Cosby                      ARC, Disaster Relief Director / Case Supervisor

Don Barrett                        ARC / Case Manager

Tarrell Thompson               UMCOR / Case Manager

Mandy Gregory                  Tri-State Food Bank / Case Manager

Donna Carr                        Catholic Charities / Case Supervisor

Wayne Bochert                  Catholic Charities / Case Manager

Debbie Burns                     Adventist Community Services / Case Manager

Julie Marr                           Adventist Community Services / Case Manager

Mike Wilson                       CAPE

Charlotte Anderson            CAPE / Interim Case Supervisor

Janet Johnson                     CAPE / Case Supervisor

Bridgette Naas                   Disaster Office Manager / HCRN

Melanie Doty                      Lighthouse Mission of Faith

Paul W. Farmer                  Evansville Tri-State Assn., UCC

Stephanie Norrick              United Way

Jim Morgan                        Thrivent Financial for Lutheran

Sara Oxley                         St. Paul's Lutheran Church

Sally Gries                          Habitat of Evansville

David Bosard                     Independent / Case Supervisor

Carolyn Harmon                 St. Vincent dePaul, President / Case Supervisor

Joseph Hess                       St. Vincent dePaul / Case Manager

Maurice Keller                   St. Vincent dePaul / Case Manager

Fr. Joseph Ziliak                 St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Mark Dicken                      Newburgh UMC / Case Supervisor

 

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The meeting was called to order by Shane O'Neill, Vice-Chairman.  It was announced that Randy Anderson could not attend.  Introductions were made.  The Agenda was presented:  Reports by each Sub-Committee.

 

Finance – Jim Collins, Chair

The Recovery Committee's checking account was opened on Monday, Jan. 9, 2006.  Funds are now available.  Additional funds have been pledged by some organizations, including Catholic Charities and Salvation Army (changed per the minutes of 1/23/06.  Salvation Army does have money to aid survivors, but is not pledging money to LTRCSI.  Other agencies also continue to assist survivors in addition to LTRCSI.)  A presentation before the media was made before the 1:00 Sub-Committee meeting in which Kevin Korff from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans presented LTRCSI with a check for $3,000.  Fox7 covered this event.  Sara Oxley also announced a partnership between St. Paul's Lutheran Church and the Tri-State Food Bank with special food distribution sites and times (this announcement will be available on the Resources page of our website, www.recoverycommittee.bravehost.com.)

 

Donna Carr has agreed to serve as the bookkeeper.  Creating a good audit trail will ensure the integrity of the financial process:

>Cases distributed to Case Supervisors at Friday morning meeting

>Cases distributed to Case Managers by Case Supervisors within 5 (business) days

>Case Manager contacts client within subsequent 5 (business) days

>Case Manager visits client

>Case Manager verifies ID as tornado survivor/ verifies aid received to date/ identifies unmet needs

>Case Manager completes Intake form, Release of Information form, and Requisition Form with Client – both Case Manager and Client sign/date all forms

>Requisition Form discussed with Case Supervisor - who initials approval

>Requisition Form is delivered to Disaster Office by the next Monday for 1:00 Finance Sub-Committee meeting

>Finance Sub-Committee approves/denies – signs/dates form – keeps a log of all Requisitions

>Approved requisitions given to Bookkeeper (Donna Carr)

>Copy of Requisition Log supplied to Disaster Office Manager (Bridgett Naas) – note: this step will allow Case Managers to call in to the Disaster Office and verify approved Requisitions following the Monday meetings

>Bookkeeper writes the check, copies the check, mails check to vendor and files copy with Requisition

>Paid/Denied Requisition is returned to Case Supervisor

>Case Supervisor returns Approved/Denied Requisition to Case Manager

 

No cash will be distributed to survivors.  Payments will be disbursed directly to vendors.  Case Managers and Case Supervisors should not make any promises on whether or not an unmet need (regardless of amount) will be approved or denied.  ONLY the Finance Sub-Committee can approve disbursements.  No disbursements shall be approved by Case Supervisors.

 

The process should take up to 10 days to complete.  Requisitions should ONLY be presented when all other agency options have been exhausted.  In other words, if a family needs a microwave oven, check with the Relief Center at the old Target building on S. Green River Rd. first.  If not available there, Christ Church has some small appliances available.  Perhaps your particular agency may choose to fill that need for a client.  Call 2-1-1 to see if any resources have changed.  Check the resource list on the Recovery Committee website:  www.recoverycommittee.bravehost.com.  Specific needs should ONLY be presented to the full committee by the Finance Sub-Committee when they determine a need cannot be met and a Requisition is either partially or fully denied.

 

The Relief Center reported its records will be made available to all.  Salvation Army has also obtained approval from all open cases to share information with the Recovery Committee.  And the American Red Cross reported that new cases are still being opened for Newburgh Warrick County residents.

 

Marketing/Public Awareness – Father Joseph Ziliak, Chair

The MPA Sub-Committee has issued two press releases for the group to date.  The first, on 12/23/05, announced the opening of the Disaster Office along with the new phone number of 812-490-6806.  The second, on 1/9/06, announced the Indiana Department of Insurance (Commissioner's) meeting sponsored by Friends of Library in Ohio Township on Jan. 10.

 

A Jan. 16 Support Group meeting was announced and a flyer was made available, but Southwestern Indiana Mental Health Center has requested NO public announcement.  They'd like word of mouth notice only.

 

Therefore, any agency that is a part of LTRCSI which would like the assistance of an LTRCSI Press Release for any agency event that will aid tornado survivors may contact Teresa Julian, at tmjulian61@aol.com.  The United Way will issue all press regarding the Relief Center on S. Green River Rd.

 

The number of estimates a client needed to get before beginning repair work was discussed.  All estimates should be obtained from contractors licensed in both the county and state in which the work will be performed.

 

Casework – Shane O'Neill, Chair

There are no unmet needs to be discussed at this time.

 

The meeting adjourned at 2:45 pm.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

Teresa Julian

Secretary, LTRCSI