There is never an easy way to discuss, or process, the issues associated with loss or change. At least, I have yet to find an “easy” way to discuss either of these two issues, both of which elicit very strong emotional reactions. As you can attest, the MCMC project has begun to deal with both of these two issues in earnest. Emotions are high, and yet we are charged with continuing to remain focused on our work. How can we reconcile the difference between how we feel over the changes and the losses that we are going to experience in the very near future, and how we feel about the successes we have experienced as a project?

Yes, in this instance, success has exacted a price on all of us, not failure. Over the period of the last 11 months, the MCMC project has reduced our overall caseload by more than 50%! We have assessed, planned, advocated, linked, and monitored our cases as they have progressed toward and, in many cases, achieved recovery. This is a great success, and yet the price of success is high. This seems incongruent, and yet it is the reality we are faced with at this point. As a result of our reduced overall caseload numbers, we have lost the ability to stay fully staffed within our case management affiliates. Many of you already know that your affiliates will lose funding for some case management positions and, in turn, also lose other supervisory and administrative staff positions. This is unavoidable and represents the loss to which I alluded above. The efforts that many of you have put into this body of work has driven us to success in closing cases, and for that you should all be proud. No other program of its kind, to date, has been able to identify and leverage resources in the same volume and manner as that of the MCMC project. The changes that we anticipate are a direct result of the reduced staffing levels that we will experience during the continuation period, as well as the complexity of the cases that remain under our responsibility. We look forward to continuing to strive to complete this recovery process and, in essence, prove that we are no longer needed for the tasks to which we are currently called. We are getting close to the day when disaster case management for Katrina survivors is no longer needed within the State of Mississippi. Until we are able to close the last case, however, we will be moving forward with the following affiliates providing services to our remaining clients:

Lutheran Episcopal Services of Mississippi (LESM); Boat People SOS (BPSOS); Disability Rights Mississippi (DRMS, formerly Mississippi Protection & Advocacy System); University of Southern Mississippi Institute for Disability Studies (IDS); International Relief & Development (IRD); East Biloxi Coordination, Relief & Development Agency; Rebuilding Pearl River County Together; R3SM; Waveland Citizens Fund; Southern District LCMS Recovery Assistance (RAI) 

The MCMC Leadership and Management Staff appreciates all of your efforts, both past and future.

Blessings,

Stephen