MO Awarded Disaster Case Management Program Grant
JEFFERSON CITY – Missourians with disaster-related unmet needs now can access disaster case management services.
The services are available even if applicants already received state and federal disaster assistance.
The state of Missouri has received a grant of more than $2.2 million to help the long-term recovery of individuals and families affected by the severe storms, and flooding that struck the state this spring, according to federal recovery officials.
The Disaster Case Management (DCM) program grant is fully funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will be administered by the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency and managed by Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri. Disaster Case management is a time-limited process that involves a partnership between a case manager and a disaster survivor to develop and carry out a Disaster Recovery Plan.
The Disaster Recovery Plan includes resources, services, decision-making priorities, progress reports, and the goals needed to achieve case closure. This partnership provides the survivor with a single point of contact to facilitate access to a broad range of resources. The process involves an assessment of the survivor’s verified disaster-caused unmet needs, development of a goal-oriented plan that outlines the steps necessary to achieve recovery, organization and coordination of information on available resources that match the disaster- caused need, and the monitoring of progress toward reaching the recovery plan goals, and when necessary, client advocacy.
“Case management is integral to helping survivors achieve self-sufficiency by addressing their unmet needs,” Federal Coordinating Officer Constance Johnson-Cage said. “This is another step in the recovery process. We recognize that people are still rebuilding their lives and this program is designed to link people who have unmet needs with organizations that may be able to help them.”
At the request of the state, the program is operating in 45 counties and offering case management services for up to 24 months from the June 2 disaster declaration. Services are available to any survivor with disaster-caused unmet needs.
Missourians who have unmet needs are encouraged to call United Way 2-1-1 by dialing 2-1-1 or (800) 427-4626 for information on services available in the area and referrals to case management services.
