Over the past year, Catholic Charities has helped over 750 families recover from Hurricane Matthew, impacting the lives of 2,100 individuals. Patricia and her family were recently assisted by the Catholic Charities office in Wilmington after Hurricane Matthew destroyed her home in Fair Bluff, North Carolina. Her family lost everything to the storm: furniture, appliances, food, and clothing. The flood waters left nothing that could be salvaged.
For the next nine months, Patricia and her multi-generational family of six were living in a one-person camper with many safety hazards. It was the best they could do while trying to recover from Hurricane Matthew. Then Sonia, a Catholic Charities case manager, met with Patricia and her family at their home to assess their living situation. Sonia worked with the family to meet their immediate needs and find safe and stable housing.
Catholic Charities provides Patricia and her family with a variety of resources. The first priority was helping the family meet their immediate needs by providing them food, clothing, and diapers. When Patricia located a mobile home that could accommodate her full family, Catholic Charities assisted with furniture and the cost of connecting utilities. Their new mobile home now has a front yard where their children can play and make new memories to last a lifetime.