BRATTLEBORO — On April 20, United Way of Windham County and the Green Mountain Chapter of the American Red Cross sponsored an evening of agency support to help the displaced residents of the Brooks House begin the arduous task of rebuilding their lives.
Following the loss of their homes in the April 18 fire, more than half of the displaced Brooks House residents came to the Gibson-Aiken Center - which served as the Red Cross's emergency shelter - to meet with representatives from dozens of local service organizations, state agencies, housing groups, and businesses.
“It quickly became apparent that each individual displaced by the fire faced an overwhelming number of time-consuming tasks that needed to be addressed immediately,” said United Way of Windham County Executive Director Carmen Derby.
“I'm hopeful that coordinating one time to address these many needs - housing, license replacement, change of address - helped alleviate even a small bit of stress for those who have lost so much,” Derby added.
TD Bank, Merchants Bank, and Brattleboro Savings & Loan were on hand to replace missing financial documents. The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles reissued eight lost identifications. New applications for assistance were accepted, and the U.S. Postal Service helped the displaced residents fill out change-of-address forms.
Brooks Memorial Library let residents know they could use Internet, fax machines, and photocopiers at the library free of charge, and with assistance, if needed.
The housing tables, which included Brattleboro Housing Authority, Windham Housing Trust, Morningside Shelter, and Brattleboro Area Affordable Housing, as well as private landlords, were busy with former Brooks House residents inquiring about vacancies and filling out rental applications.
The Brattleboro Area Drop-In Center, Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA), and Health Care and Rehabilitative Services (HCRS) helped identify gaps in services and coordinated residents with caseworkers.
“I heard from some of the Brooks House residents how helpful this event was for them,” said Town Manager Barbara Sondag. “It was excellent to have all of these groups come together and address the necessities of the residents in one place. We were really pleased with the high resident turnout, and with the number of issues that were addressed.”
“This event was a tremendous display of civic and community service,” said Larry Crist of the American Red Cross. “I would guess that it would have taken each displaced resident days to track down all of these people and make appointments for the right services on their own. Instead, we were able to coordinate their presence in one location at one time.”
Crist said the session was so successful in meeting the multiple needs of displaced residents that the Red Cross wants to see if it can replicate Brattleboro's model of response for use in other communities.
“[Last] Wednesday was a very emotional day,” said Sondag. “Assisting residents back into their homes to assess the damage was difficult for everyone. But, to have the day end with such caring and support was amazing. I am so proud to be a member of this community.”