Immokalee residents at event get help with FEMA, Social Security, food

The lives of migrant workers and others in Immokalee can be unstable because of work, lack of housing and low wages. Hurricane Irma turned their lives upside-down, and many still are recovering without knowing where to turn.

On Thursday, they got some help.

Immokalee residents poured into the Guadalupe Social Services office at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church for help with Social Security issues and to appeal their denied FEMA claims.

Representatives from several Immokalee nonprofit groups — as well as FEMA, the Social Security Administration, The Salvation Army and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s office — set up stations in the social services office to address residents’ needs.

Some residents still are living in damaged, mildew-infested homes because their claims were denied after the hurricane and they didn’t know what to do next.

“The frustration is there for them,” said Ellie Ramirez-Olvera, coordinator for the Immokalee Unmet Needs Coalition, a multi-agency collective dedicated to long-term disaster recovery in Immokalee. “Housing is still the biggest issue. So many families were displaced. We’re working on that.”

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Residents also got fresh produce and bags of food from Farm Share, an organization that distributes food to soup kitchens, pantries and homeless shelters.

Gussie Flynn, marketing and communications director for Farm Share, said the organization has been helping with food distribution and disaster recovery in Immokalee and the Keys since Hurricane Irma swept across the state in September.

The organization works with farmers to collect produce and food that isn't sold to grocers.

“Sometimes people, especially seniors we help, make the decision between going to the grocery store for food and going to their pharmacy for medication,” Flynn said. “We try to give them a hand up, not a handout, and get them over the hump.”

Darius Galiher and Cole Wessel volunteered to distribute food. The men are part of the Justin's Place Recovery Program at St. Matthew's House in East Naples.

Before landing in the program, Galiher said he struggled with drugs. Wessel said he was facing 45 years to life in prison. Both knew they had to clean up their lives. Volunteering, they said, taught them about giving back after receiving so much help themselves.

"I thought I had it bad," Galiher said. "Seeing people who actually needed things — food, water, a place to live — that was humbling. That opened my eyes."

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Although food insecurity isn’t necessarily the biggest problem for Immokalee residents post-Irma, having somewhere to go for groceries helps homeless residents who don’t have a steady source of income.

Thursday’s event demonstrated the efforts several organizations in Immokalee are making to get residents affected by the hurricane back on their feet.

Housing is the Unmet Needs Coalition’s main concern, and it is working on obtaining funding to help people with home repairs or first month's rent at a new residence.

“We don’t have a lot of housing to choose from, so that’s something we’re working on, too,” Ramirez-Olvera said.

The coalition has several subcommittees dedicated to addressing needs related to health and spiritual wellness, funding, mental health, housing and case management.

Coalition members have hit snags with meeting people’s housing needs, but they also have celebrated recent victories for families whose situations have improved.

Seven families returned to their homes after volunteers fixed their roofs and ceilings. Case managers have closed most of their cases after helping individuals and families get what they need — replacement appliances, furniture, repairs or a new place to live.

“It’s emotionally exhausting but rewarding,” said Aileen Castro, chairwoman of the Unmet Needs Coalition’s case management subcommittee.

Castro and her family were displaced after the hurricane. They since have found long-term housing, but she said she knows what it’s like to be sitting on the opposite end of the table asking for help.

“I can understand them,” Castro said. “At the heart of it, you build people’s trust and you build relationships. The more they trust you, the more honest they are about their experiences, and I can help them better.”