Sara St. Louis arrived in the U.S. after the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake with her 3-year-old son and husband. Devastated by the loss of her home and seven members of her family, she could barely speak to the case manager assigned to help her. She suffered emotional heartache, pain, and depression.

The family arrived on a U.S. military airplane as their son is a U.S. citizen. They arrived without luggage in search of a new beginning. Catholic Charities provided three months of food vouchers and assistance in applying for food stamps for their son. The parents participated in our Strengthening Families Program, a parenting program which allowed them to heal as a family unit. They participated in group sessions with other Haitian families who had lost many loved ones, as well as individual therapy sessions with our counselor.

By the end of the parenting classes and group therapy sessions, the St. Louises still missed their loved ones — but they were able to smile again and return to being a loving, caring family.

Catholic Charities paid legal fees for the couple and they received work employment authorization. Thanks to Sara’s cooking talents, and her will to succeed, our case manager helped her secure her current employment at Chuck E. Cheese. Her husband earns his living working as a percussionist with Haitian bands, and in Haitian churches.

Before coming to Catholic Charities, the St. Louis family survived by moving from one friend’s house to another, sleeping in living rooms and floors. Today, the family is stable and residing in their own home.

Since Jan. 12, 2010, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami has provided earthquake relief services to a total of 798 families like the St. Louises (approximately 3,200 people). We continue to assist 250 Haitian families still living in South Florida by providing:

• Tuition assistance
• Food vouchers
• Parenting classes
• Domestic violence prevention workshops
• Grief and post-trauma therapy
• Assistance with immigration costs for Temporary Protected Status
• Case management (to help with employment, access to community resources)
• Rent assistance
• Medication
• Clothes
• Local transportation

Many of these families are on an extended stay in the U.S. for medical treatment or have been granted Temporary Protected Status work authorization by the U.S. government.

Recovery from a disaster of this magnitude is a long-term process. Haitian earthquake survivors living in the U.S. have ongoing needs for the services we provide. Continued assistance helps these individuals and families emerge from trauma and empower themselves to be self-sufficient in the future.

Rachel Ramjattan - Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami
Monday, January 9th, 2012