One Atlanta HUD Employee's Effect on Katrina Disaster Victims

Melinda L. Dula

Like many HUD employees throughout the Country over the past weeks, Melinda L. Dula, one of HUD's Attorney/Advisor, in the Atlanta, Georgia Enforcement Center, has been doing a yeoman's work as a volunteer post Katrina. She has been working as Co-Director with her husband with the Outreach Ministry at New Covenant Christian Ministries in Atlanta. Melinda took on the responsibility for project management in locating, coordinating and implementing the relief effort from the church for over 80 evacuees in the surrounding area. These evacuees found their way to her church by way of knowing members at the church. She and her fellow church staff located housing for the evacuees and she reviewed leases to ensure the flexibility and non-recourse provisions required by the unstable situation of the evacuees. She coordinated a "House-Warming" to fill the new short-term (12 months or less) homes with the day-to-day items (clothes, household goods, food, furniture) required to stabilize the families. She also oversees the church budget used to administer these efforts; located medical care and social work assistance for diabetes, full term mothers to be and a cancer patient in need of chemotherapy; convinced her own doctors to see these patients and to locate others doctors who would do the same; coordinated with local companies such as Clorox and Cardinal Medical Supplies to donate their products for the effort; and coordinated a clothing drive to help stock two Atlanta shelters with needed clothing for the influx of new residents.

Melinda and her Church staff were very important in the overall recover of these Katrina Disaster Victims and their families. Another HUD employee's volunteer efforts claims success.