20 families use facilitator program in C.R.

CEDAR RAPIDS - About 20 flood-affected families so far have taken advantage of a program to connect them with the help they need for long-term recovery.

“There's still a lot of people out there who are in need, but generally I'm very pleased with the outcome,” said Dave Loy, coordinator of the Partnership for Safe Families' Flood Affected Support Team (FAST) program.

Launched about two months ago with a $24,202 grant from the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, FAST assigns a volunteer facilitator to each participating family. The facilitators help the head of the household write a plan with specific steps toward self-sufficiency and connects them with other agencies that can provide services and assistance.

“We're still finding organizations that still may be good to have at the table,” Loy said.

The facilitators may also arrange meetings with representatives of the service agencies.

Loy said facilitators have met 26 times with the 20 participating families and continue to field inquiries.

“We have referrals outstripping how quickly we can get them done,” he said. “In some cases we may try to hook them up with something they may be trying to use, but we're finding doesn't quite fit.”

For more information, call (319) 286-0773.