disaster relief Archives - Our Front Porch

Insight from OFP Interns: Holly Kaiser, Metro State University BSW Intern

July 13, 2021/in colorado, Denver, disaster, disaster housing, disaster relief, house fire, intern, long term recovery, our front porch, support system, therapy, trauma /by Heather Korth

What was your experience as an OFP intern?

My time spent interning with Our Front Porch has been filled with laughter, heartbreak, resiliency, and learning. When I started in late August 2020, I jumped right into the reality of the impact home fires have on survivors and the community. COVID-19 may have shut down the world, but human suffering had not stopped. From the first day of my internship, I was full speed ahead with helping people who had been displaced due to a home fire. I gained the greatest insight into the state of the housing market and how difficult it is to get people into affordable housing in the Denver metro area. The greatest joy I experienced came when clients proclaimed that just knowing that someone was in their corner while going through a horrendous experience was uplifting to them. Working with Heather and Maggie has been a wonderful experience. Their love, passion, and dedication to Our Front Porch is obvious with each interaction I have with them. Maggie has provided me with a wealth of social work knowledge while working through difficult cases. I am happy that I chose to intern with OFP and was able to be a part of such a wonderful agency built by two unique women.

Insight from OFP Interns: Madeleine Veith, University of Denver MSW Intern

June 16, 2021/in colorado, Denver, disaster, disaster relief, disaster stress, fire, homeless, house fire, intern, long term recovery, mental health, our front porch, support system, temporary housing, therapy, trauma /by Heather Korth

What have you learned during your time at Our Front Porch?

The most profound sentence I have heard from a handful of clients these last seven months still resonates so deeply: “Thank you for not giving up on me.” I am learning from my clients how difficult it is to navigate after a home fire. They share about unwavering stress, profound grief, and a new need to rely on the people around them… something so difficult and humbling especially for my most independent clients. As people navigate finding new housing, recovering items/documents, and renegotiating boundaries with loved ones, it can seem like nothing is going well for them. I work with these clients in case management and therapy, and I am amazed. They navigate such profound difficulty with tremendous resilience, and they often experience a newfound softening towards leaning on others. That is where that sentence—thank you for not giving up on me—comes in. I am always caught off guard, in part because I can forget how exposed they feel in losing the four walls they could safely live behind. Yet, in calling our clients each week, listening to their stories, and empathizing with them throughout the highs and lows of rebuilding their lives, I see their resilience and courage to keep going. I cannot help but feel honored to enter into their stories and offer support in the small ways I can… but more than anything it has shown me the importance of offering support to my loved ones and receiving support as well. We are all so much stronger when we can lean on each other.

Beyond the Lights and Sirens – An Emergency Manager’s Perspective

July 9, 2019/in Denver, disaster, disaster housing, disaster relief, long term recovery, our front porch, post-disaster housing, support system /by Heather Korth

Guest Blogger: Dr. Enessa Janes, Community Resilience Coordinator

When people hear the words “disaster” or “emergency management,” they typically think about first responders (police, EMTs, or firefighters) or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Although these groups are crucial to response efforts, when it comes time for families and communities to begin recovery, it takes a diverse group of partners and expertise to be successful.

This Work is Hard

May 25, 2018/in colorado, Denver, disaster, disaster housing, disaster relief, disaster stress, fire, hardship, healing, high rent, homeless, house fire, long term recovery, mental health, our front porch, post-disaster housing, rebuilding, social enterprise, startup, support system, temporary housing, therapy, trauma, volunteering /by Heather Korth

Guest Blogger: Paxton Leibold, Our Front Porch 2017-2018 Intern

Hurricane Harvey. Photo Credit: Olivia Vanni/The Victoria Advocate/Associated Press

Coming into this internship, I did not know what to expect. I had little to no clinical experience, I had never worked with the ‘short term’ homeless population nor clients who had severe trauma, and I honestly did not know how to do case management, let alone effective case management. However, while being a part of this organization, I learned how to do all of this and so much more. I learned that trauma can manifest in completely different ways within the same disaster, and that people are the most resilient when something tragic happens to them. From clients that have anxiety and depression, to clients that just want to move on; they are all resilient and deserve help. Another thing that I learned is that I am so irritated with how our society is ran. These types of clients (short term homeless) get little to no assistance through resources through in communities; why you ask? Because these people are physically not living on the street; per the homeless requirement in Denver, so they do not meet the criteria for government aid.

How messed up is this?

Sympathy is a Garbage Emotion

May 23, 2018/3 Comments/in children, colorado, Denver, disaster, disaster housing, disaster relief, disaster stress, fire, hardship, healing, homeless, house fire, job, long term recovery, mental health, our front porch, rebuilding, social enterprise, startup, support system, therapy, trauma, volunteering /by Heather Korth

Guest Blogger: Taylar McCoy, Our Front Porch 2017-2018 Intern

While working at Our Front Porch I have been able to hone some really useful skills, but one thing seems to stick out the most. Our Front Porch has given me an outlet to truly understand the difference between sympathy and empathy. Some people see these words as synonyms, but they are quite different. There are four words that I would consider to be related, but distinguishable: pity, sympathy, empathy, and compassion. Sympathy and empathy tend to be the two ideas that are intertwined the most. I would argue that empathy includes a component of connection and emotional intelligence that only comes from practice.

How Our Front Porch Helps

January 22, 2018/in children, colorado, Denver, disaster, disaster housing, disaster relief, disaster stress, fire, hardship, healing, high rent, homeless, homelessness, house fire, hurricane, hurricane harvey, long term recovery, mental health, our front porch, post-disaster housing, social enterprise, support system, temporary housing, trauma, Uncategorized, volunteering /by Heather Korth

Guest Blogger: Paxton Leibold, Our Front Porch 2017-2018 Intern

Every person in the United States faces struggles on a daily basis. From running out gas, to losing a credit card; the human race struggles in every aspect of life. But what happens when a natural disaster hits and you lose everything you own and love? Would you be able to pick up and move on, know what to do, or be able to function soundly? I know in my personal life, I would not be able handle the most basic of everyday tasks. People are resilient and can handle so much, but sometimes they need help in this crisis period. I say this, because this is what I do in my internship: I help individuals who have lost everything due to a natural disaster.

Residents wade through floodwaters in Beaumont Place, Texas during Hurricane Harvey. Photo Credit: Jonathan Bachman/Reuters/Newscom

Hurricane Harvey Hits Close to Home – Part 2

October 22, 2017/in disaster, disaster relief, hurricane, mental health, support system, therapy, trauma, volunteering /by Heather Korth

Our good friend Kim, who lives near Houston, Texas talks more about volunteering with the recovery efforts and community resiliency.

Donations being collected in Dallas for Hurricane Harvey survivors. Photo Credit: Tony Gutierrez, AP Photo

Hurricane Harvey Hits Close to Home – Part 1

October 19, 2017/in disaster, disaster relief, disaster stress, hurricane, hurricane harvey, mental health, support system, trauma, volunteering /by Heather Korth

In this next blog, Kim, a friend of Our Front Porch who lives near Houston, Texas shares her experience of Hurricane Harvey and how it impacted her day-to-day life, her family and her community.

A home in Spring, TX during Hurricane Harvey. Photo Credit: David J. Phillip, AP.

The Realities of Evacuating

October 16, 2017/in children, disaster, disaster relief, disaster stress, hardship, hurricane, hurricane harvey, support system, trauma /by Heather Korth

Our Front Porch interviewed one of our supporters, Kat Kilpatrick, who had to evacuate for Hurricane Irma. For those of us who live in landlocked states, here is what the realities of evacuating look like.

Kat Kilpatrick and her family.

Were you prepared to evacuate and what things were most important for you to bring with you?

We heard about Hurricane Irma arriving in a few days which gave us some time to decide our plan, pack and come to terms with the fact that there was a natural disaster on the way. I packed the essentials for my husband, myself and two small children. I packed clothing, diapers, snacks and our most important documents. I thought about our items at home and hoped they would be ok but most utmost concern was for our family, things can be replaced.