IRD US Honors the Case Management Workers Rebuilding the Gulf Coast of Mississippi
Gulf Coast Community Service Center to Host 2nd Annual Partners in Long-Term Recovery Appreciation Luncheon

Gulfport, MS — September 17, 2007 — Through the work of its Gulf Coast Community Service Center in Gulfport, IRD US will hold the 2nd Annual Partners in Long-Term Recovery Appreciation Luncheon today to honor the people rebuilding Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. Mayor of Biloxi A.J. Holloway, as well as representatives from the offices of Senator Trent Lott and the mayor of Gulfport, will attend the luncheon at Mississippi’s Beau Rivage Casino and Resort.

“IRD US is holding this event to thank all of the people involved in the extraordinary rebuilding process – the communities themselves, the partners, and most importantly, the case managers,” said Lori West, program director of the Center. “We want to celebrate all that they’ve accomplished so far, while keeping in mind how much work there is still left to do.”

With the help of its partners, the Gulf Coast Community Service Center has provided case management services to over 700 households across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, making the center a leader in the local social services community. Despite the tremendous amount of work completed, there exists a backlog of more than 12,000 individuals identified by the Harrison County Long-Term Recovery Coalition still in need of the case management services so essential to finishing the job of rebuilding.

Following the Appreciation Luncheon, the Center will also host a ribbon-cutting for the Center’s new offices in downtown Gulfport. Following the completion of the initial needs assessment conducted in partnership with the Harrison County Long-Term Recovery Coalition, the Center has expanded the services available to the community to include financial, legal, and housing counseling for Katrina victims.

“This new space will help us provide additional counseling to the people we serve, and we hope it can contribute in meaningful ways to rebuiling people’s lives,” added West.

IRD US was founded as a charitable, non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to reducing the suffering of the United States’ most vulnerable groups and providing tools and resources needed to increase their self-sufficiency.

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