Gulf Coast continues struggle to rebuild

UUSC staff and Gulf Coast activists joined together to raise awareness about the continuing need for recovery work and financial assistance in the Gulf Coast. On Friday afternoon, March 28, 2008, UUSC sent a delegation of activists to lobby U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd, of Connecticut, to pass the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act. Dodd, as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, has the power to push this legislation through for vote by the full Senate.

Activists met outside Dodd’s district office in Hartford and circulated flyers to locals about the need to pass the bill. UUSC also sent a delegation -- consisting of Unitarian ministers, UUSC staff, and other activists -- to meet with Dodd’s staff to discuss the urgency of the bill and the need for swift action. They underscored Gulf Coast residents’ critical need for safe, affordable housing.

Providing a strong visual reference point for activists, Derrick Evans brought The KatrinaRitaVille Express to Hartford as part of his national FEMA-trailer road show. Evans is using The KRV Express to raise awareness of the plight of those who are now living in these toxic trailers.

On March 29, activists met for a second day of advocacy and another stop on The KRV Express at the Unitarian Church in Westport, Conn. This church had sent a delegation to the Gulf Coast as part of the UU A-UUSC Gulf Coast Volunteer Program in February 2008.

UUSC, alongside activists across the country, continues to work on Gulf Coast recovery.

To learn more about the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act, or to contact your senators, click here.

To learn more about sending a volunteer delegation to the Gulf Coast, click here.