READING, Pa. – On Friday, the urgent questions on North 10th Street were about the fire. Now, for the families who can’t go home, the questions are different.
“What did you lose? What do you need immediately?” said Peter Brown, executive director of the American Red Cross Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter.
That’s where Red Cross volunteers begin. The organization is helping 32 people from Friday’s fire, along with about 26 from the recent fire on Oct. 11 in the 600 block of North Ninth Street.
“But it was very surprising and really unfortunate to have two fires in Reading in such close proximity and involving so many families,” Brown said.
“Our goal with the immediate response to a fire is to make sure people have a place to stay, access to food and a feeling of safety,” he said.
First comes somewhere safe to sleep and food to eat. Then, replacing things families may have left behind — medicine, glasses and clothing. But finding their next home can be complicated.
“With the current housing shortage in Berks County, for many of our families, finding the next place to live after a fire is one of the most challenging parts of their recovery,” Brown said.
Each family gets a caseworker to help sort through those needs and connect with other organizations.
“Experiencing a fire really is, makes you feel that you’ve lost the power over a lot of things in your life,” Brown said.
Those caseworkers can stay involved for weeks, even months, and almost all that work is done by volunteers.
“It’s not unusual for a caseworker to work with a family for 30, 60 or even 90 days, depending on the number of needs that they have,” Brown said.
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