fire Archives - Our Front Porch

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.

Insights from OFP Interns: Ashleigh Cherry, Walden University MSW Intern

June 4, 2021/in Denver, disaster, disaster stress, fire, healing, house fire, long term recovery, mental health, our front porch, support system, therapy, trauma /by Heather Korth

What is it like working with home fire survivors?

I have come with no background in trauma recovery, so coming into Our Front Porch has been a great experience to see what ways support can be given to those in my community. This experience has been eye-opening and has shown that this is an area where many need support. Losing one’s home to a fire is more common than I had thought and many people never think it will happen to them. This is a problem that should have more public light than it does. Everyone has their own experience, but many barriers that come up are finding personal identification lost in the fire, receiving clothes or food, finding somewhere to stay, or financial support. Working with someone who has experience locating these resources can save time and relieve some of the anxiety people feel.

Trauma affects us all differently and I have learned that while working one on one with each individual. A lot of the time people just need someone to support them and aid in their progress, and talking it out helps move forward. It is often said that we need to meet people where they are at and this is very true and is something I have learned in general about this work. We can lay out steps and ways to get back on track but something simple to someone like helping hang up pictures or go through boxes of items saved from a fire is what someone really needs.

Interview with Susan Mertz, OFP 2020 Intern

May 24, 2020/in colorado, Denver, disaster, disaster housing, disaster stress, fire, house fire, intern, long term recovery, mental health, our front porch, therapy, trauma /by Heather Korth

Susan Mertz, DU International Disaster Psychology Intern

What was the most beneficial experience for you at OFP?

I think my most beneficial experience has been working with Maggie and Heather. A lot of times, people see problems and do nothing about them. The fact that OFP started in order to address a gap in services is amazing and a great learning experience. It’s actually really inspiring!

What surprised you about the recovery of home fire survivors?

What surprised me most was how few resources there really are for people recovering from house fires. Initially, I thought the Red Cross did a lot more to help out, but their assistance only last so long.

What are your next steps after graduation?

Hopefully, a job in Program Evaluation! I want to help design and monitor international programs that focus on mental health initiatives.

What was it like working at OFP?

I really enjoyed it! I like how welcoming everyone was and even though I was only there for a short time, I felt incredibly supported by everyone.

How has OFP helped you grow as a clinician?

It has definitely exposed me to new populations. I had a lot of training and classroom knowledge about people surviving disasters, but I had never directly worked with the populations. Also, any experience interacting with and helping others is something that helps you grow as a clinician. Having a wide range of diverse clients really helps expand your knowledge as a clinician.

What was your biggest take away from this internship?

I think my biggest takeaway has been the importance of social work. Don’t get me wrong, I always thought it was important, but people in the field of psychology have a tendency to look down a bit on it. Why? Probably because they are jealous 😉 After working with amazing social workers, I can see that the skills social work brings to a situation are so incredibly important. I also got to learn a few of those skills, which will be great for my clients and own personal development for years to come!

What did you learn most from the clients at OFP?

From the clients at OFP, I learned a lot about resilience. Most of them suffered one of the worst things of their entire lives, and yet they still keep on keeping on. I think a lot of people could completely shutdown after a traumatic experience, and yet the OFP clients continually strive to better their lives and work towards recovery.

The Complete Fire Safety Guide

October 8, 2019/in disaster, fire, fire prevention, house fire, trauma /by Heather Korth

In honor of Fire Prevention Week, we want to share this great resource that will help you to both prevent and prepare for a house fire. Stay safe!

Guest Blogger: Robert Dekanski, The Dekanski Home Selling Team

In 2017, one home fire occurred every 88 seconds in the United States, and about half of the insurance claims relating to fire were made by homeowners. That same year, 77% of all fire-related deaths occurred in the home. In Canada, 19,062 structural fires were reported in 2014. Around 75% of those fires were residential.

The power of fire should not be underestimated. When a fire occurs, occupants may have as little as 2 to 3 minutes to get out of the house before it’s too late. Home fires can reach temperatures of 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit (760 degrees Celsius). When a flashover fire occurs, windows shatter, oxygen is sucked from the room, and thick, toxic smoke fills the air. Given this, it’s obvious why fires are so deadly.

Understanding how to prevent house fires, and knowing how to stay safe in the event of a fire is something every property owner, head of household or parent should consider. Here’s what you need to know – Read The Complete Fire Safety Guide Here.

June 4, 2019/in colorado, Denver, disaster, disaster relief, fire, house fire, long term recovery, our front porch, Uncategorized /by Heather Korth

How to Get the Most Out of Renters Insurance

February 14, 2019/in disaster, disaster stress, fire, house fire, insurance, long term recovery, our front porch, renters insurance, temporary housing /by Heather Korth

In the last blog, I discussed the nuts and bolts of renters insurance and how affordable it is… so there’s no excuse not to have it! And while renters insurance can be very helpful, if you don’t know how to use it, it can end up being a tremendous headache.

Average Cost of Renters Insurance

January 17, 2019/1 Comment/in disaster, fire, hardship, house fire, insurance, long term recovery, support system /by Heather Korth

Guest Blogger: Jeff Gitlen, LendEDU

Renters insurance is highly underrated and often overlooked. So when we came across this blog Jeff Gitlen wrote, originally published on the LendEDU blog, we just had to share his straightforward explanation and research on just how little a policy actually costs (HINT: it’s about the cost of a pizza!). When disaster strikes, having a renters insurance policy in hand can be helpful – read on for more!

At a Glance:

The average cost of renters insurance across the United States can change depending on where you live and how much coverage you need. Given the low cost – on average about $16 per month – and high value, a renters insurance policy can be a wise investment for renters.

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