The Long Road Home
from The Valley Today Hosted by Janet Michael
When a disaster destroys your home, the shelter is never meant to be the ending point — it's step one. Janet Michael sits down with Deb Fleming, Executive Director of the American Red Cross of the Greater Shenandoah Valley, for a deep dive into the Red Cross's Shelter Resident Transition (SRT) program: the behind-the-scenes work of moving disaster survivors out of shelters and into permanent, sustainable housing. Deb walks through how SRT identifies each person's unique barriers to housing, why the Red Cross deliberately avoids "quick fix" solutions like extended hotel stays, and what it's actually like to help someone rebuild when they've lost everything — including the emotional toll on both survivors and the workers who support them. She also shares stories from Maui, from local house fires, and from building community partnerships that stretch far beyond the Red Cross itself. If you've ever wondered what happens to people after the cameras leave a disaster zone, this conversation has the answer. LINKS & RESOURCES American Red Cross volunteer sign-up: redcross.org United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley Day of Caring — presented by First Bank: https://www.unitedwaynsv.org/day-caring-2026 Community Baby Shower donation drop-off: Marlow Motors locations and participating First Bank branches
Embed this episode
No transcript yet.