Scope, Focus, and Mission—Project HOPE is a crisis counseling TEAM whose sole mission is to provide emotional support, HOPE and guidance to communities affected by natural disasters. By providing crisis counseling, outreach, public education, information and referral services.
Federal Crisis Counseling Programs—Emergency Response Phase (72 Hours post incident), Immediate Response Phase (0-60 Days), and Long-term Recovery Operations (9+ Months).
Survivors of Disasters—No one who sees a disaster is untouched by it. (First hand and Second hand survivors.) Two types of disaster trauma. (Individual trauma—Stress and grief reactions. Collective trauma—Damages the bonds of the social fabric of the community.)
Critical Disaster Stressors—Threat to one’s life, threat of harm to one’s family, destruction of one’s home or community, significant media attention, witnessing other’s trauma, being trapped or unable to evacuate, displacement fears, and loss of wages.
Populations Served—Form September 8, 2004 – March 20, 2005 Project HOPE served 25,758 people, including Children, minorities and older adults. Project HOPE served over 29,326 people in group scenarios within Palm Beach County. The team consists of multi-cultural counselors speaking English, Spanish and Creole.
Project HOPE Tasks—Crisis Counseling, presentations to schools and other groups regarding coping and recovery, stress management techniques and preparation. Community Outreach—Door-to-door canvassing to assist individuals in communities within the County. Referral Services—linking survivors with local social service agencies and filling service gaps.
Primary Goal of Project HOPE—The primary goal of the crisis counselors is to assist disaster applicants in coping with the psychological aftermath of the disaster(s), to reduce the stress or psychological harm caused by the traumatic experience, and to help understand their current situation and reactions. The crisis counselors will assist in the provision of emotional support and encourage linkage with other individuals and agencies to assist with additional support and information to facilitate the process of recovery.
Future Project HOPE Goals—Hurricane Awareness Week (May 29-June 4, 2005) is designed with festivities that encourage awareness and safety throughout the 2005 hurricane season. The events are to encourage the entire community to take an active role and show their support while participating in fun activities. The “Fun Day” event will have music, food, information and activities for the entire family. Date: June 4th Location: Centennial Square (Clematis Street) Time: 11 am-6 pm
Project HOPE Hot Line (1-866-518-1825)—The Project HOPE hot Line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide a central point for callers to identify themselves as needing support and assistance in coping with the impact of the hurricanes. This line is intended to provide crisis referral services to the survivors of Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. Referrals from the hot line are rerouted to the local office for linkage and referrals. Callers may also contact the local Project HOPE office at 561-837-5042 or (561) 650-6911 for immediate assistance.
