By Layla Kalinen
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
LONDONDERRY, Vt. — Neighborhood Connections is helping displaced individuals, families, farmers and business owners seeking food and transitional housing to connect with flood relief programs.
The Vermont Department of Labor, American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Southeastern Vermont Community Action are all offering assistance with mental health counseling, aid to repair damaged property, procuring food and transitional housing.
This service is in addition to Neighborhood Connections’ regular, ongoing assistance with farm-to-home food assistance, senior wellness, transitional housing and mental health counseling. The organization has an emphasis on youth services.
Lois Schram Osnow, a 30-year veteran social worker, said the services are primarily for the Chester, Andover, Londonderry, Jamaica, Weston, Stratton and Peru communities, but the group also reaches out to other areas.
“We just had one of these events in Ludlow and there taking place with different outreach organizations all over Vermont,” Osnow said.
Southeastern Vermont Community Action helps with home repairs, advice and guidance.
“SEVCA is offering information on what kind of programs they have for rebuilding or weatherizing a structure or looking at damage,” she said.
“The Red Cross is offering emergency services and relief,” Osnow said. “In addition, they work to do emergency shelters. … They’ve also been handing out food and beverages, particularly water.”
On-site mental health counseling and outreach services are being made available.
“There’s a mental health counselor if anyone wants to sit and talk or needs to talk about their experience, so it’s really a wide-range of services that they’re offering,” Osnow said.
And, labor and unemployment resources are available for displaced income earners through the Vermont Department of Labor, according to Osnow.
“They’ve also done it the past week in Ludlow. So it’s SEVCA, the Red Cross and the Vermont Department Of Labor,” Osnow said, “People show up and they’ve sat down and met with somebody from unemployment or the Department of Labor.”
Neighborhood Connections is now trying to fill the gaps.
“I’m trying to pick up where they can’t,” Osnow said.” So, I’m here at Neighborhood Connections being the social worker.”
For more information about Neighborhood Connections, visit neighborhoodconnectionsvt.org.
Neighborhood Connections is located in the Mountain Mountain Marketplace in Londonderry.
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