Helping a Homeless Katrina Survivor Overcome Obstacles

Meet Pamela L. Lewis, a homeless 4.0 GPA graduate student of Griffin Technical College that was displaced by Hurricane Katrina and is presently sleeping in a '95 Ford Explorer as a resident of Riverdale, Ga. without a source of income. The Katrina survivor is still being denied food-stamps by Clayton County-DFAS in Jonesboro, Ga. She has not received assistance from FEMA since March of 2006. A FEMA representative informed the survivor that her case was closed because THEY did not meet their deadline on 28 Feb 07. Not only that, but the Katrina survivor was also denied assistance with housing because she was not on section 8, public housing or living in a HUD home prior to Hurricane Katrina. They are only helping them at this time.

Within the last two years, numerous letters were sent to David Scott, Congressman of Georgia District 13th. His administrator met the displaced victim once only to give the victim a case of water and sent back out into the streets to live in an automobile.

The Katrina survivor has overcome some obstacles in Georgia with the assistance of the community by continuing her education and becoming a National Certified Clinical Medical Assistant and a Central Sterile Technician as a 4.0 GPA student. She was recently offered a $24-25,0000 scholarship to attend High Tech. Institute for the Surgical Program in Atlanta, GA. The only thing she has to do is pay $125.00/mo for 13 months while enrolled in the program and purchase her own white surgical shoes. The school also assists with housing for an extra cost of $4-500.00 per month while the student is enrolled in the program with an apartment that is under contract. Her goal is to concentrate in the Cardiothoracic surgical field. However the problem is, Ms. Pamela Lewis do not have a source of income to pay the remaining balance of her tuition or the extra $4-500.00 per month for housing. Ms. Lewis is still homeless in Riverdale, Georgia sleeping in her truck without a source of income since the horrific ordeal of Hurricane Katrina. She is applying for jobs and goes on interviews so that she can pay the remaining balance and establish housing, but she has not received a job offer yet. IF YOU CAN HELP HER IN ANYWAY, PLEASE LET HER KNOW! The next program begins on April 14th.

Of note, I ask that you get in touch with the government officials in the state of Georgia, non-profit organizations, and Jovita Moore <Jovita.Moore@wsbtv.com> at WSB-TV Channel 2 and urge them to provide the needed assistance for the Katrina survivor in Georgia. In the meantime, you can contact Ms. Pamela Lewis at p_lichele@yahoo.com.