House in a Box®, an Award Winning Disaster Relief Program, Needs Funds for Hurricane Harvey Survivors

The House in the Box service provided by our agency was able to bridge this gap, now the house has become home, and my client can contemplate a positive future for the first time in two years.

My client is now safely in the home, sleeping in new beds, resting on a new sofa and eating at a table in the dining room. My client is now safe, secure, and living in a clean residence thanks to the House in a Box Program.

With help from the House in a Box program Sylvia has been able to rebuild her home and her life in the Corpus Christi area. Sylvia started crying and said that she didn't feel worthy of the compassion and love that she has received from everyone from DSC.

New home goods for over 700 families impacted by Hurricane Harvey have been provided. More than 200 families identified need funding support for their recovery.

The House in the Box service provided by our agency was able to bridge this gap, now the house has become home, and my client can contemplate a positive future for the first time in two years.”
— David Hancock, Disaster Case Manager of Orange County, Texas
HOUSTON, TEXAS, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, February 26, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Disaster Services USA (DSC), a sister company to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, is not a name that news agencies are familiar with. We aren’t on screen to rescue disaster survivors in boats or ATVs. We are not the volunteers rebuilding homes posing with building materials. We do the long-haul work. DSC is the unsung hero that arrives on cue when the dust has settled, the camera crews have left, and those still trying to pick up the pieces are long forgotten about.

When the rescues are complete and shelters come to a close, disaster survivors are left to pick up the pieces. Often times disaster survivors may not be able to relocate to their homes again or in new permanent homes for more than a year after a disaster has occurred. The long term recovery process is an arduous task for survivors that can bring on an unlimited amount of pain and suffering. It's our job to advocate on behalf of the survivors and help them navigate the process to be as efficient as possible.

Disaster Case Management is a long process that is funded through various revenue streams. Through this process, our organization is able to determine where the greatest need is. We identify the most vulnerable after all the struggle and unmet needs table committees have left it to the hands of the volunteer agencies to support. It's at this time in the long term recovery process that DSC brings in the House in a Box® program.

The House in a Box® program is one of the most well-known programs of Disaster Services USA in the disaster relief world. The program helped the Disaster Services USA win the National Voluntary Agencies Active in Disaster (NVOAD) NGO of the Year Award in 2012. House in a Box® provides new furniture and furnishings to families that have lost everything due to disaster. Families are reviewed and referred to the program through the Disaster Case Management process, which ensures that there is no duplication of benefits. DSC buys furniture and furnishings in volume through pre-screened vendors, so that it can provide a starter household furniture kit at a greatly reduced price. All logistics for the House in a Box® program are managed by DSC. The goal of the program is to provide new household items for families who have lost everything as a result of natural disasters and who are forced into situational poverty. The House in a Box® gives dignity to families in crisis as it gives them a new start and fresh start. All families receive the same new items which are packaged for efficiency of delivery. The program is scalable to the size of the family and starts at $3,200 for a family of four. One package includes: beds, linens, dishes, pots and pans, dressers, silverware, bathroom setup, dinette and a couch.

Unfortunately, not all community members will be granted a House in a Box®. DSC is only able to purchase House in a Box® kits based on the amount of funds that the community is able to fundraise. So far, DSC has been able to provide House in a Box kits for over 700 families in Hurricane Harvey impacted areas with a dire need to support an additional 200 families that have been identified. This is just the start as more families are slowly beginning to move back into their homes. They need your help!

Hurricane Harvey is still very much real to the people that have had their lives completely ripped a part. Please consider donating to the House in a Box® fund to support the survivors. Give the gift of a fresh start for a Hurricane Harvey survivor and change someone's life for the better. You can donate at: www.svdpdisaster.org

Kevin Peach, COO
The Disaster Services Corporation, SVDP-USA
+1 202-380-9664
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The Disaster Services Corp., SVDP-USA is a National Non-Profit that Responds to Local Disasters Nationally