Like many HUD employees throughout the Country over the past weeks, Melinda L. Dula, Atlanta, Georgia, HUD Enforcement Center Attorney Advisor, is doing yeoman's work as a volunteer following Hurricane Katrina. She and her husband have been working as Co-Director's at the Outreach Ministry at New Covenant Christian Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. Melinda acts as project manager in helping locate, coordinate and implement the relief effort for the 80 evacuees New Covenant supplies in the surrounding area. These evacuees found their way to New Covenant through individual members they knew at the church. Melinda and her fellow church staff found housing for the evacuees and reviewed their leases to ensure flexibility and non-recourse provisions were met.

Melinda organized a "House-Warming" to ensure the evacuees homes had the day-to-day items they would need (clothes, household goods, food, furniture) to stabilize their families for the next 12 months. In addition, Melinda located medical care, social work assistance for diabetics, full term mothers-to-be, and a cancer patient in need of chemotherapy. Melinda pursuaded her personal doctors to see these patients, and then asked her doctors to help locate other doctors who would do the same. Melinda contacted local companies, Clorox and Cardinal Medical Supplies requesting donations of their products and arranged a clothing drive that will help two Atlanta shelters receive clothing needed for the influx of new residents.

Melinda represents the best of HUD employee's volunteer efforts.