The United Methodist Church

Dear People of Good Will,

I am concerned that the most vulnerable of the people displaced by Hurricane Katrina will be abandoned once the shelters begin to close. They were ignored and shunned by mainstream society before this disaster. They have been blamed for not evacuating voluntarily when they had no place to go and no transportation to get anywhere. This storm has provided us with an opportunity to offer a large number of people a fresh start and a second chance. But it won't happen unless many well-educated, economically-stable people become determined not simply let government rebuild the New Orleans "projects" (otherwise known as slums) on higher ground.

I am contacting churches of every denomination to rally support for Katrina Villages, a plan for medium-term housing (3 to12 months) AND humanitarian support including trauma and relocation counseling, educational opportunities, job banks and self-reliance training. These ideas are utopian and require a "can do" attitude to overcome the roadblocks society has built to insure that the wealthy stay comfortable and protected. Many of these roadblocks are discussed but not fully overcome on the Katrina Villages web site.

Please follow this link http://loopcntr.xwiki.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/EMERGENCY+KATRINA+VILLAGES and grant me at least 10 minutes to begin to read about the plan. If ANY aspects of the Katrina Village plan seem worthwhile to you, please get involved at whatever level you can.

This program will require a critical mass of about 50 dedicated people to carry it forward. My California-based 501(c)(3) educational corporation, LOOP Center, Inc. has agreed to spearhead the effort if needed but we are much too small to do this alone. Churches and their networks of members will be key.

A critical part of the Katrina Village strategy is to keep each village small, perhaps 80 people, and spread them out across the warm winter states. Many benefits are realized by creating small, temporary villages within an existing, caring and supportive community. The alternative (building large refugee camps which will undoubtedly be underfunded and impersonally supplied with minimal human services)is a recipe for anger, frustration, political unrest and a continuation of the all-too-familiar cycle of poverty.

I look forward to hearing from you or another representative from your church. Your congregations are already extending themselves generously to meet the immediate need for money and supplies. Let's not let that effort go to waste by forgetting how challenging the comming year will be for hundreds of thousands.

Thank you,

Liza Loop, Executive Director, LOOP Center, Inc., 650 964 5623