Homeowners, groups grapple with administrative avalanche after Halifax-area wildfire

It's hard to imagine when Tricia Murray-d'Eon gets any sleep.

She recently lost her home in the Halifax-area wildfire, works full time, has an eight-year-old daughter and is helping other residents like herself receive support.

"None of us have been in this boat before," said Murray-d'Eon, co-chair of the Highland Park Ratepayers Association. "I have no idea what I'm doing.

"It felt almost insurmountable when this first started."

Despite her own hardships, Murray-d'Eon and a small group of Highland Park residents have been working to help members of their community navigate support being offered in the wake of a wildfire that destroyed 150 homes in Hammonds Plains and Upper Tantallon.

Homeowners say they have been confused, frustrated and even humiliated by the overwhelming process of accessing support, as community groups grapple with an avalanche of administrative work related to delivering it.

Nine local community organizations are receiving funding allotments from United Way Halifax, which has raised $1.4 million to help those impacted by the wildfire.

The organization's mandate is to ensure people are food secure and do not slip into poverty.

It is legally unable to provide funding directly to individuals. It administers the funds to community organizations, as required by the Canada Revenue Agency. It's then up to those organizations to decide on how to use the money.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Red Cross has raised more than $5.4 million to provide direct help to families and individuals who lost their homes or sustained significant damage. A case worker will work directly with those families.

But the distinction between the fundraising efforts and information on how to access support has not been clear to homeowners like Jody Stuart, a father of three who lost his home in Yankeetown.

Stuart said he spends hours each day responding to emails and driving to various places to pick up gift cards of between $50 and $100 from the various community organizations, on top of communicating with his insurance adjuster and working as a carpenter and contractor.

He said administrative work does not come naturally to him.

"I really could use a secretary or an assistant," said Stuart, who is living in an RV on his neighbour's property while his house and garage are rebuilt.