by Katy Knapp
Daily Lobo
Lisa Atwa said she is a little nervous to donate rooms in her house to evacuees of Hurricane Katrina.
"But I just kind of went on faith that the people who come would be good and appreciative," she said.
Atwa, a graduate student in the nursing program at UNM, is one of more than 1,600 New Mexicans to offer more than 4,700 free rooms in their homes for the evacuees staying at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
She called 311 - a local information hotline - to offer three rooms of her five-bedroom house, she said.
Atwa hasn't received any calls yet.
Michael Padilla, general manager of 311, said by Wednesday 60 evacuees had found housing, either in apartments provided by the city or rooms donated by people. Ninety-three people checked in on Monday after evacuating New Orleans.
"This just shows the kindness and generosity that people have shown," he said.
Padilla said the city is trying to move people into residences so they can start rebuilding their lives.
"We want them to feel good about themselves and be productive again," he said.
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Student Jeneanna Schentrup said she didn't know if letting the evacuees stay in people's homes was safe, but opening up the convention center to them was a great idea.
"We should do all we can to help," she said.
When people call 311, the city will place their information on katrinahousing.org. People can also post ads directly on the site, as well as other sites, including hurricanehousing.org and craigslist.com.
Dozens of UNM students and faculty have posted ads on katrinahousing.org.
Ellen Goldberg, a research professor in the Biology Department, also called 311. She said she and her husband requested two children because they live in a rural area and it would be difficult for adults to drive to and from work. She said there is an elementary school close to their home and they would keep the children until they were reunited with their parents.
They put in their request on Monday, she said, and haven't heard back yet.
"We did get one phone call from someone just checking us out," Goldberg said. "They seem to be very careful about how they place people, especially since we requested children."
The Albuquerque Police Department are calling all people requesting to take in evacuees to verify people's identities.
They aren't nervous about taking in strangers, Goldberg said.
"We're just nervous about what these kids went through and how to make it easier for them," she said.
The Goldberg's farm in the East Mountains, with an orchard and lots of animals, could be exactly what children missing their families need, she said.
"These kids have probably gone through so much trauma," Goldberg said. "So it would be really peaceful here for them."
