Shelter at State Farm opens Friday

[jus_the_facts]

http://thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050908/NEWS05/509080318/1002/NEWS01

The military vehicles, BellSouth vans and pick-up trucks in the lot on one side of the building, though, belie the activity going on inside as an army of workers readies the building for a long-term Red Cross shelter that is expected to open there Friday.

The conversion from vacant office space to what is being called a residential community center has been a massive undertaking that included moving out office equipment left behind by State Farm and setting up cubicle partitions to create makeshift rooms.

Red Cross volunteer Karl Dang, who sits on the tasking team, said they even hope to establish a quasi-government of evacuees.

"They will probably maintain their own restrooms and garbage," Dang said. "They will take responsibility and really rebuild the communities that they lost."


*a community WITHIN a building...to my knowledge HAS NO SHOWERS IN IT...I worked in that building for 6 months and never saw any*



The move to the State Farm building is scheduled for Friday with a small test run today. Many shelter residents are ready for the move as complaints about privacy and cleanliness continue to mount.

"It looks like it's deteriorated some," said Debra Pike of Marrero. "The food is getting like you could give it to animals. We left home, but we're still humans." Joseph Smith of New Orleans echoed Pike's sentiments saying while he appreciated the generosity of both the Red Cross and the community, he wants "privacy, clean showers, clean restrooms and food — not play food" at the new shelter.

The one-year contract between OEDC and the Red Cross is for $5,500 per day.