The shelter in place orders that required so many of us to get comfortable (maybe a little too comfortable) on Zoom enabled us to fine-tune our virtual service delivery and give insured loss victims uninterrupted access to the answers and information they need.
Virtually, we are reaching people who’ve had to relocate outside their original communities due to scarce housing options. We have also increased our capacity to educate and support non-English speakers by using translation services.
UP provides the following offerings to disaster survivors:
Roadmap to Recovery Educational workshops: From basic orientations on reading and understanding an insurance policy to deeper dives into construction documentation and financing, mortgage and loan considerations, our educational workshops anticipate common questions and answer them in plain language. Each workshop tackles one part of the insurance claim process in depth. We have developed this curriculum over 30 years. It is fine tuned for each disaster.
Roadmap to Recovery Q&As: An opportunity for individuals to ask specific questions and get trustworthy answers and leads to additional help.
Survivor to Survivor Forums: Trained UP volunteers with personal experience recovering from previous disasters share practical tips for loss recovery and coping with claim obstacles and a special kind of empathy. No one understands the emotions and challenges quite like someone who’s been there.
One-on-one Legal Clinics: Disaster survivors often have legal issues related to insurance but want to avoid litigation and don’t know where to turn for expert help. UP’s extensive Team UP volunteer and partner networks include lawyers who have the expertise to provide free one-hour consultations to get claims on track toward fair settlements. UP often hosts our pro bono insurance legal help clinics in partnership with educational institutions and other non-profits.
Visit: www.uphelp.org/events to register for an upcoming event.