Hope4NC Wraps Up in Cumberland County

The Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program, also known as Hope4NC, wrapped up at the end of 2017, having touched the lives of more than 14,000 Cumberland County residents affected by the destruction and flooding of Hurricane Matthew.

Alliance Behavioral Healthcare managed the project and, working with private, non-profit human services agency Action Pathways, deployed five outreach teams who canvassed neighborhoods, hotels, rentals and shelters to provide disaster crisis counseling to those affected by the flood.

The project, a partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), offered short-term interventions that included coping strategies and emotional support to help disaster survivors manage the stress of their situations.

Outreach teams made 14,045 contacts in Cumberland County through presentations and group encounters, neighborhood canvassing, telephone, email and other means, providing crisis counseling to 715 individuals and providing 484 referrals for further care.

“Without the support of the teams and community education most people would not have known where to go for help,” said Alliance Senior Vice President for Community Relations Ann Oshel. “Hope4NC also offered technical assistance to help providers and community organizations better understand how to access mental health services, which will provide ongoing referrals now that grant funds have ended.”

While the program did not provide home repairs, outreach counselors referred citizens to a variety of community resources that could assist people in putting their lives and homes back together. Many residents were also referred to organizations that could provide assistance with behavioral or mental health care, affordable housing, legal assistance, furniture and clothing.

In many cases, residents struggling with hardships were just happy to have someone listen to and empathize with them. “It can be devastating to lose everything and still have the daily struggle of living outside your home many months later,” says Disaster Recovery Coordinator Laressa Witt. “Added to the financial burden of starting all over, it can be very stressful for families.”

According to FEMA there are four emotional stages of disaster, moving from the heroic phase to the honeymoon phase to the disillusionment phase and finally to the reconstruction phase. Witt said that many of the people contacted were in the disillusionment phase. “Many folks said they had no idea it would take this long to return to their homes, and this has added to their emotional fatigue.”

Individuals who still need assistance can call Alliance’s toll-free, 24-hour Access and Information Center at 800-735-2962.

Alliance is the managed care organization for publicly funded behavioral healthcare services for the people of Durham, Wake, Cumberland and Johnston counties. Alliance works with a network of almost 2,200 private providers to serve the needs of 471,000 Medicaid-eligible and uninsured individuals within a total population of 1.8 million.