Washington, DC – The Department of Human Services (DHS) announced today that the Hurricane Katrina Evacuee Walk-In Service Center on the premises of DC General Hospital will close on Wednesday, December 7, 2005. However, services will continue to be provided to evacuees.
The Department of Human Services’ Strong Families Division will continue to assess the needs of evacuees who are living in the District and link them to the appropriate agencies for services. Likewise, families who have relocated to the District as a result of Hurricane Katrina will be assigned a caseworker or should continue to work with their designated caseworker. Evacuees can obtain services and information from the Strong Families Division at 920-A Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast. Or, evacuees can call (202) 576-3277 or (202) 576-3282.
Katrina evacuees who have received food stamps and cash assistance from DHS’ Income Maintenance Administration (IMA) will be recertified as District of Columbia residents and continue to receive benefits based on eligibility. Since evacuees arrived in the District, IMA has provided benefits to approximately 700 individuals.
Evacuees who need assistance finding housing can contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) housing locator service at 1-800-762-8740; TTY 1-800-462-7585 between the hours of 8 am and 9 pm daily.
For other forms of assistance, evacuees can call FEMA’s help line at 1-800-621-FEMA or TTY 1-800-462-7585. FEMA urges evacuees who have changed their addresses to provide updated information to FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA or visit FEMA, to ensure receipt of entitled benefits. FEMA Disaster Assistance registration ends on January 7, 2006. Costs related to state-to-state relocations will not be paid after December 31, 2005.
Evacuees who require housing in the metropolitan area can obtain an apartment listing from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 820 First Street, Northeast. Evacuees can also call (202) 437-0933 or (202) 275-9200 to request that the listing be faxed to their current addresses.
For additional information about HUD programs, call 1-800-955-2232 (TTY 1-800-877-8339). To learn more about the Katrina Disaster Housing Assistance Program, evacuees can call 1-866-373-9509 (TTY 1-800-877-8339).
Katrina evacuees seeking employment can visit the Department of Employment Services’ One Stop Career Center for Employment and Unemployment at the DC Department of Employment Services, South Capitol One Stop Career Center, 4049 South Capitol Street in Southwest. For more information, call (202) 645-4000 or visit the DOES website.