Despite more than $66 million in aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, West Siders are still reeling from the after-effects of last year’s storms that devastated the area.
A weekend of severe rainstorms late last June and early July left thousands of Chicagoans with storm damage in and around their homes. In what was one of the costliest floods in Chicago’s history, the city’s West Side and its surrounding suburbs were hit hardest by the storm. Hundreds of people are still dealing with moldy basements and water damage from the storm with no foreseeable remediation.
“It’s still very prevalent for a lot of folks. It’s their everyday reality,” said Chaundra Van Dyk-McGee, director of special program initiatives at Habilitative Systems, a West Garfield Park mental-health group trying to help people cope with the storms’ aftermath.
“When the flood first happened, there were a lot of folks who came out into the city to provide support,” Van Dyk-McGee said. “But a lot of those folks have come and gone. Those services are no longer available.”
Habilitative Systems has remained. Since the flood, the organization has expanded its services to the community with its Crisis Counseling Program. But as the program’s funding draws to an end, the need for post-flood resources — whether mental health services or funding for repairs — persists, officials said.
Habilitative Systems has provided mental health services, violence prevention and crisis counseling on the West Side for 46 years. After last year’s floods, the organization received an $888,135 grant from the state Department of Human Services’ Illinois Strong to develop a counseling program for those affected.
Habilitative Systems was able to hire eight full-time counselors to start CCP, which helps those recovering from last year’s flood through free mental and emotional stress support.
Since March, counselors have connected with more than 3,945 people to discuss CCP’s outreach-oriented psychoeducational services and make referrals. They knock on doors and attend community events to connect with those who were affected by last year’s flood. They then conduct counseling sessions in homes or communities, rather than an office.
“The idea of the program is that you meet people where they are,” Van Dyk-McGee said. “Because there are so many stigmas around mental health services, folks are not always open to coming to a facility or a space to receive those services.”
The counselors also direct flood victims to Habilitative Systems’ partner organizations for additional resources they might need, like a food pantry, housing or, in many CCP participants’ cases, money.
“A lot of folks, when they learn about this program, they think that it is another funding source where they can get resources to help rebuild,” Van Dyk-McGee said. But Habilitative Systems’ grant funding only covers mental and emotional support services.
And while the counselors have received positive feedback from participants, there’s still a need for more resources in the community to address last year’s flooding.
“Folks feel like it’s a good option to have someone to talk to, to listen to what you’re experiencing,” Van Dyk-McGee said. “But what I think we hear a whole lot is folks really feeling like there is still a great financial need. And unfortunately, we don’t have the money to give it.”
Some residents only got a few thousand dollars from FEMA, when their flood damage costs tens of thousands to repair, Van Dyk-McGee said. While FEMA gave $375 million to Cook County residents, those impacted by the flood haven’t seen any money from the City of Chicago.
In February, the West Side Long-Term Recovery Group called on Mayor Brandon Johnson to give the organization up to $50 million to help the hundreds of West Siders still dealing with flood damage. Officials said the money would help fund the cost of mold and debris removal, plus water heater and furnace replacements.
“We still have hundreds, if not thousands of people, who don’t have water heaters, who don’t have furnaces, who still have mold in their basement,” Jitu Brown, an Austin resident and national director for the Journey for Justice Alliance, said at a February meeting for the West Side Long-Term Recovery Group.
“Standing water and the mold are two of the biggest things, separate from the financial need,” Van Dyk-McGee said. And the presence of mold can cause serious health impacts, along with the asbestos and lead paint some residents have been exposed to after the flood.
As federal funding for CCP is coming to an end, the program is being phased out in the coming months. While the CCP name will no longer exist, Van Dyk-McGee said Habilitative Systems’ staff will keep providing crisis counseling and resource referrals to flood victims through their everyday services. CCP counselors will likely be reallocated to other positions within Habilitative Systems.
The recent Chicagoland storms that spawned tornado warnings and power outages are a reminder that Habilitative Systems’ work is critical when a disaster could be another storm away.
“There’s, of course, the fear that now we’re having more storms,” Van Dyk-McGee said. “We are worried about the possibility of something happening like this again.”
Evidence shows it may. Intense storms in the Midwest will likely become more frequent as a result of climate change, driving the need for more support for those who live in areas with high flood risk.
“The concern for how we support people who are still navigating this experience has not gone away,” Van Dyk-McGee added. “And it’s even more frightening that there’s a chance that they can be experiencing more flooding that is contributing to issues that already exist for them.”
Those who have been affected by last year’s flood and want to talk to a counselor can contact CCP at (773) 745-2616 or CCP@habilitativesystems.org. If you know of an organization that can provide resources to those that have been affected by the flood, contact Habilitative Systems at hsi@habilitative.org. It is located at 4133 W. Madison St.