Still Here: Stories After Katrina

Even in New Orleans, life was a struggle for Kevin Scott, 38. But fearsome nights in the Superdome and the upheaval that followed took a toll on his mental health and made drugs hard to resist. "It's hard for me to stay clean because I don't have a purpose," he says.

After unsuccessfully trying to restart his life in New Orleans, Kevin took shelter at the Denton Salvation Army. He is a recovering crack addict who also suffers from PTSD, bipolar disorder, and depression, but he lacks health insurance and has not been able to get any treatment. "I'm going to stay in Denton because I feel I can get the help I need here," he says. "I am staying at a shelter right now and trying to get on social security. Being around good people here helps me. If I'd stayed in Louisiana I'd have done much worse."

Katherine J. Lee, transitional shelter coordinator of the Salvation Army, Denton Corps, explains sadly, "People were evicted because the town of Denton stopped giving. I don't think that we knew what we were getting ourselves into when we brought in so many families and individuals who were displaced by Katrina. What we are dealing with now is the aftermath: Their money has run out; families are splitting up; there are people who have alcohol, mental health, and substance abuse problems. Many are winding up here as their last resort. I know a man who was making a six-figure income before the storm, who lost everything and now has become a crack addict."

(From Still Here: Stories After Katrina, powerHouse Books)