September 16, 2005

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Bush:

Nineteen days have passed since Hurricane Katrina swept ashore and devastated New Orleans and parts of Mississippi and Alabama . We have come to the common recognition that our nation’s response was shamefully inadequate. As social workers, it is our priority to look to the needs of the most vulnerable — in this case, marginalized ethnic and racial groups, the disabled, the elderly and the very poor. Their needs were clearly not met in the aftermath of the storm.

Moving ahead, we must ensure that future evacuation and emergency aid plans include support for those most likely to need additional help.

Right now, there is a loss of community, family, and a loss of the familiar. The mental health needs are enormous. Additional emphasis must be placed on services needed now by survivors of the hurricane: mental health services, income supports, school social work, health care for displaced persons and more.

Funds must be spent carefully to reach those who need help the most. Investment in social service systems and other types of safety net services in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi is essential, as is support for service systems in the cities and communities that are hosting survivors. Ongoing funding for such services is critical not just for the first three weeks of emergency response. The needs will be as great, though less visible, in three months as individuals and communities come to understand the extent of their loss.

It will not be sufficient to rebuild roads and buildings. It will not be sufficient to provide funds for shelters and first-aid and then scale back services in six months. Rebuilding the social services infrastructure is essential to the overall hurricane recovery effort. As a country, we must provide regular access to mental health services in schools and clinics; income supports such as food stamps and affordable health services; safe nursing home options, support services for the disabled, and job training and placement programs for young people and adults.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is ready to help with the task of rebuilding. We are working with our chapters in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to support the social workers who live and work in the affected areas. Through a volunteer agreement with the American Red Cross, social workers are taking an active role in helping individuals and families cope with their losses and put the pieces of their lives back together.

As your administration moves to develop and implement aid and assistance packages for the affected victims and cities, it is important to invite residents to participate in the process via advisory groups and community councils. Social workers can assist you in these efforts and others.

Although appalled by the unnecessary human suffering in the last several weeks, NASW and the half million social work professionals it represents are completely committed to helping restore dignity to the people and communities affected by this tragedy.

As the richest country in the world, we have an unparalleled opportunity and obligation to show how a nation’s power and wealth can be used to ensure the well-being of all its citizens.

Sincerely,

Elvira Craig de Silva, DSW, ACSW
NASW President