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Most FEMA counselors found to be unqualified
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published December 11, 2006
FORT LAUDERDALE - Three out of four Florida-based supervisors in FEMA's $23-million counseling program for hurricane victims do not meet federal educational and licensing guidelines, a newspaper reported Sunday. Project HOPE (Helping Our People in Emergencies) was part of $109-million in counseling grants the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded nationwide last year to help residents overcome mental health problems caused by major disasters. The program, whose grants expire Thursday, is run by Florida's Department of Children and Families. A South Florida Sun-Sentinel review of 29 Project HOPE supervisors - all but a handful of the supervisors statewide - showed that just one was a licensed mental health counselor in Florida, and seven did not have bachelor's degrees. Only seven supervisors had mental health-related master's degrees. "It is frustrating to learn that some team leaders hired do not possess the qualifications FEMA expected and that other team members have troubling backgrounds. FEMA will ask tough questions of the state ... to ensure that, in the future, only appropriately qualified individuals provide this valuable counseling service to Floridians," the federal agency said in a statement. DCF is reviewing the Project HOPE hiring decisions, said agency Secretary Lucy Hadi, who will retire next month. In written responses to questions, DCF said the federal government does not mandate specific credentials or education levels. "And, while we would have liked to hire staff based solely on the federal guidelines, we realized that wasn't realistic," the agency said. DCF launched an internal investigation into Project HOPE after the Sun-Sentinel reported in October that federal grants were being used to pay for puppet shows and yoga on the beach. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's inspector general also is investigating Project HOPE.
[Last modified December 11, 2006, 00:27:51]
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