More from Episcopal Relief and Development

ERD and Diocese of Louisiana dedicate outreach ministry center in New Orleans; long-term recovery work continues in the city

Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) and the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana are furthering efforts to rebuild lives and communities in the City of New Orleans.

The Episcopal Urban Ministry Center (EUMC), in the Center City neighborhood, was dedicated on Monday, February 26. This center will serve as headquarters for comprehensive humanitarian services reaching people living and returning to the local community. EUMC is located on Seventh Street between Carondelet Street and St. Charles Avenue. The center will house a community room, case management services, volunteer housing and offices for the Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative.

“The opening and dedication of this ministry center represents our partnership with Episcopal Relief and Development and our commitment to the recovery and rebuilding of New Orleans,” said the Rt. Rev. Charles E. Jenkins, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana.

Community members, local clergy, and ERD’s Board of Directors were among those who attended the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony. Remarks were made by Bishop Jenkins, the Rt. Rev. Harry Bainbridge, Chair of ERD’s Board of Directors, Robert W. Radtke, ERD President, and Saundra Reed, Co-Director of the Central City Renaissance Alliance. A New Orleans brass band played at the ceremony’s conclusion.

“The Episcopal Urban Ministry Center will be a sanctuary to help people heal and access critical services such as pastoral care, counseling, housing and many others so they can rebuild their lives,” said Robert W. Radtke, ERD President.

“When I look at the church in New Orleans, I see the church at its best. I believe our witness to the gospel is directly connected to our willingness to embrace suffering,” said the Rt. Rev. Robert J. O’Neill, Bishop of the Diocese of Colorado. “ERD’s partnership with communities invites us to do just that,” said Bishop O’Neill. Bishop O’Neill, along with Catherine George and Erwin Fredie, are the three new members of ERD’s Board.

Progress being made as New Orleans struggles to rebuild

On Saturday, February 23, a celebration was held for the Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative, a partnership of the diocese and ERD. Jericho Road received the first titles to four adjudicated properties under the City of New Orleans Targeted Neighborhood Development Project. Jericho Road hopes to build up to 500 homes over the next five to seven years in the Center City neighborhood.

Together with the diocese, ERD is supporting long-term rebuilding programs in Louisiana focusing on livelihood and housing renewal, psychosocial counseling, health care and distribution of critical goods. ERD’s work with the diocese has served over 194,000 individuals and families in the past 18 months.

“Through a mobile respite unit, people in the Lower 9th Ward are receiving critical assistance and pastoral care. A mobile medical unit provides on-site medical treatment to residents working on damaged homes,” said Richard Ohlsen, ERD’s Director of Domestic Disaster Preparedness and Response. “Since many stores have not yet reopened in the city, our partnership with St. George’s and Mobile Loaves and Fishes is delivering food to more than 2,000 families each month in low-income neighborhoods,” said Ohlsen.

So far, over 3,330 people have volunteered with ODR, helping survivors gut out their homes and salvage belongings. More volunteers are needed. For more information, go to http://www.edola.org/odr_volunteer_main.php or call (504) 895-4304.

“There are many challenges to why Katrina survivors cannot return to New Orleans,” said Archdeacon Dennis McManis, Operations Director for the Office for Disaster Response (ODR) in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. “Many don’t have the resources, there are no transitional living accommodations, commerce hasn’t returned and infrastructure is still being rebuilt,” said McManis.

For more information on Episcopal Relief and Development’s response, please visit www.er-d.org or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129.

Episcopal Relief and Development is the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church of the United States. An independent 501(c) (3) organization, ERD saves lives and builds hope in communities around the world. ERD’s programs work toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals. We provide emergency assistance in times of crisis and rebuild after disasters. We enable people to climb out of poverty by offering long-term solutions in the areas of food security and health care, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.