Dear Noah,

I tried to find the right address at MoveOn to send this message to but failed. Within a few hours one of my friends on your list forwarded your appeal for volunteer housing. Please consider seriously the Katrina Villages idea discussed below and on the linked web site. Pass it on if you like it.

Having hosted homeless people in the past, I know it’s a great thing for a week or two but can turn into a really difficult situation. Differences in education, economics and cultural expectations can create tension-filled environments. The Katrina Village plan is designed to promote self-organization and self-reliance among the residents from day one. Since many of the displaced will be from marginal communities to begin with, providing basic education and skills training along with guided self-government could serve as a launch pad for more productive lives wherever they choose to go from there. Some of the families who are moved to open their homes to strangers today may find they can contribute much more for much longer if their beneficiaries have their own living space…but I’m getting ahead of myself…here’s the beginning.

Many of us are feeling helpless to make a difference as we begin to see the enormity of the Katrina disaster. I’d like to find a way to relieve some of the suffering of my southern neighbors. I’m not convinced that throwing some old clothes in a bag and taking them down to the local Red Cross will do the trick. I’m not confident that our current governmental agencies will be able to come up with a remedy. Sooooooo…

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