Joe Friday, from the TV series “Dragnet,” used to say: “Just the facts ma’am.” That is what this weekly update will attempt to give you, just the facts. MCMC continues to move forward with the provision of disaster case management services to those impacted by Hurricane Katrina. We are anticipating our continuation award letter, as a result of the Congressional Legislation that was passed and signed by the President earlier this summer. Once we receive our official notification from FEMA, we will be able to issue contracts to the affiliates who will continue to provide services during the continuation period through March 2010. In addition to that contracting process, MCMC is also working to be able to provide disaster case management services to clients who are in need of assistance with the transition from DHAP vouchers to HCV vouchers . We are working with numerous state agencies to secure funding and the programmatic authority to begin conducting outreach and case management services to that population, and will be notifying affiliates whether or not their agency will receive any additional cases as a result of the sorting process that we have to conduct based on HUD lists, etc. Needless to say, there are many moving parts. There may be other populations that MCMC will be asked to serve in the future, but at this point in time, those are the facts. We continue with our original mission to serve clients assigned to us by FEMA, and we are exploring how MCMC might be useful to the State of Mississippi in assisting individuals and families take advantage of housing voucher options that are becoming available. MCMC will work closely with state and federal partners so as to ensure that we do not duplicate efforts and to ensure that processes associated with voucher transition(s) and other resources are made as simple as possible for clients. Your work as case managers is crucial to the success of complicated resource systems as you assist the client with navigating those processes. Stay focused on your work, and keep your ears open.


Blessings,

Stephen