Sept 18, 2017

I came back to Tina’s house tonight, where she poured me two large glasses of wine….and yes, I drank them both. It was not an easy day. I am beginning to understand the guilt being felt by the Houstonians who were not impacted – how can we say our day was difficult in the midst of so much loss?

The Staff at the Houston JFS is doing an amazing job. The Staff is clearly overworked after multiple weeks of very long and difficult days. Many have significant car and housing losses of their own . And yet, when we were given our Case Management orientation this morning, the staff didn’t focus solely on the tasks at hand, (which were incredibly organized and totally prepared in advance for us), everyone spent time helping us understand the community pain and depth of loss which people here have faced. In short – they prioritized compassion.

When I sat down to the phones this morning to make Case Management phone calls, it was totally and eerily similar to our (semi/totally-dreaded) Annual Federation Donor Phonathons: stacks of unfamiliar/semi-complete paperwork, dialing unknown phone numbers, working to establish rapport, listening, and then probing for relevant information… in advance of making the Ask. It is not lost on me that it is just those Asks which are making these Relief Services phone calls possible. (Oh, the Irony!)

The needs are heart wrenching. I talked to many people today who described losing every possession they’ve owned, and of course both cars. They then proceed to tell me that they don’t need to be helped first, that we should help others who need it more. I have to pry their needs out of them…. And then encourage them to accept the available services and support. (For gawd sake plz let us offer you grocery money….)

I’ve learned that non-profits divide up Houston both culturally and geographically. (I believe the same is true in Seattle.) So Catholic Charities support not only all Catholics, but, also a geographic section of Houston. Likewise, the JFS, supports Jewish clients across the city, and all clients in the Southwest part of town. So, tomorrow I am joining a case worker and we are headed to West Houston. For context, West Houston did not flood with the rains, instead, it flooded when Houston released water from the Reservoirs when they appeared to be at risk of breaching. While the water in other parts of Houston drained in several days, the homes in West Houston sat submerged in water to their ceilings for up to 12 days. People in West Houston are angry and feel sacrificed, and abandoned by the City. As one JFS client told a case worker, “My parents sacrificed their home so mine could be saved.”

Tomorrow we are going there to meet clients, assess needs, and make initial cash grants on the spot. The case worker said with a heavy sigh – all you have to do is drive through West Houston, and you want to immediately open your wallet. I have been told that JFS is one of only two charities that meet client needs with cash grants – and consistently does so quickly and with minimal red tape. It makes me proud to see our Jewish community in action! What a loving and beautiful gift to give to the Houston community!

Sept 17, 2017

It’s Sunday evening in Houston, and I’m more than a bit nervous about tomorrow. I start with Houston JFS at 9 a.m.

I arrived in Houston yesterday afternoon and settled in with my high school friend Tina, who lives only 15 minutes from JFS – and you don’t have to drive ANY freeways to get there! Even better, you only have to make ONE (count them) turn. (And yes, Peggy, I will still likely use my GPS…. Oh well.)

Tina has been wonderful! We drove to JFS today to scout the route, and then we toured the local community – which she hadn’t driven through yet. I’ve attached a photo from a single house demoltion. This is representative of the debris – from EVERY house on an impacted street. Multiply this by entire neighborhoods, as you turn the corner and look down the length of the street. Seeing this while the sun is shining and the bayous are back within their banks is indescribably eerie. Some of Houston is totally untouched, up and running, and so much of it will not recover for many many months. According to Tina, in the past, one of a home’s selling points was that it “did not flood during Hurricane Alicia”. Clearly – Harvey resets that benchmark.

A local mega-church whose Pastor, Joel Osteen, was nationally catisgated for being unwelcoming to hurricane refugees, (first refusing to shelter them, and then passing a collection plate?!), seems to be working on its public image. They are providing their space to Congregation Beth Yeshurun, (huge conservative congregation here), for the High Holidays. Bummer – had I known, I would have definitely stayed in Houston for the holidays (instead of going to my brother’s in Austin). Do you know how LONG my childhood friends in Tennessee tried to get me in a church? I could have been church-going and holiday-attending simultaneously. Besides I have it on very good authority that churches offer UNLIMITED parking!