Temporary Shelter for Hurricane Florence survivors

The situation was dire in the counties affected by Hurricane Florence which hit North Carolina in September 2018. The federal program that paid for hotel or motel rooms as emergency sheltering for Hurricane Florence survivors ended March 12, 2019, and hundreds of people were left without the resources they needed to keep a roof over their heads.

That’s where Global Giving stepped in. In April 2019, Lutheran Services Carolinas (LSC) received funding from Global Giving and since that time it has been able to provide temporary shelter assistance to a total of 48 survivor households, consisting of 105 adults and children. Because of this funding, survivors who had been living in deplorable housing conditions were able to find safe, clean shelter.

Following are examples of just a few of the lives that were touched by Global Giving funds over the last few months:

• A disabled older couple had been displaced when Hurricane Florence destroyed their apartment. After initial assistance ran out, the couple took their last few dollars to buy a tent and some canned food. Since November 2018, they had been living in the tent, heating their canned food over an open campfire, using a bucket for a toilet and taking a weekly shower at a nearby truck-stop. With Global Giving funds, LSC was able to put them into a hotel while case managers worked to find them a new, permanent home.
• Sandra’s home was severely damaged by Hurricane Florence. After the storm, she bounced from hotel to hotel with her two children and one grandchild. While trying to juggle home damages and repairs, hotel stays, and food, she exhausted all of her resources. Eventually she could no longer afford to stay in a hotel. She then had to resort to living in her car with her children and grandchild while they waited for home repairs to be completed. With Global Giving funds, LSC was able to get this survivor back into a hotel where the family could remain until they were able to move back into their newly repaired home.
• Jessica  and her three children were displaced from their apartment due to the hurricane. Since then, she had been living with friends. When that living situation came to an end, she had nowhere else to go. An LSC case manager was able to move her and her children into a hotel while they worked together on an application for more permanent housing.
• Keith and his wife had been living in a motel room for six months when their resources ran out. With nowhere else to go and no other resources to help pay for their room, they were on the verge of becoming homeless. GlobalGiving funds allowed them to stay in their motel while LSC case managers worked to find a more permanent, affordable housing solution.

Global Giving has made a life-changing impact on the lives of Hurricane Florence survivors in North Carolina.