PORT CHARLOTTE -- Volunteers from across the country, most through their home churches, are lined up to help the victims of Hurricane Charley.

Sadly, permitting delays and the overall housing shortage in the area limit the number of people who can make the trip to help people rebuild their homes.

Interfaith Interagency Network of Charlotte County (IINCC) was created in an attempt to organize church groups to help the most people in the fastest period of time.

IINCC was offered help from the national and state offices of several religious groups, including: United Church of Christ; Presbyterian Church; Lutheran Services; United Methodist Church; and the St. Vincent De Paul Society, just to name a few.

Just last week, more than 50 volunteers were in Charlotte County to do work on homes.

One group from St. Stephen United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C., was so struck by the damage they are already planning to come back next year.

"We could be doing this for another two years, at least," said IINCC Executive Director Dennis Celorie.

There is a waiting list for groups wanting to come to the area to help that runs into July. The list of people needing help is much longer though.

"It is a challenge," Celorie said. "We have limited housing and it makes accepting help much more complicated. A lot of people want to volunteer but they expect a bed."

Faith-based groups from across the country descended on Florida in the wake of the 2004 Hurricane Season. The church groups divided themselves so there was not an overlap in one area. A large Mennonite contingent has been actively working in DeSoto County for months.

"We are working in repair and rebuild," Celorie said.

People who get help from IINCC must have registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and have exhausted all of their FEMA and insurance options.

"Where they come short, we can come in," he said.

IINCC is getting money from churches and other groups in the area and across the county to help pay for materials and expenses.

For the groups coming to help, most ask to stay together, meaning splitting people up among individual households is not feasible.

There are a few trailers set up and several local churches have volunteered space, but at the most, about 50 workers can be in the area at one time.

While that number may sound like a lot, Celorie said there are hundreds who could come to help tomorrow if there was more space available.

Habitat for Humanity is building a Community Volunteer Center, near its new outlet store on Cedarwood Street off Collingswood Boulevard, and will share its 48-bed facility and office with IINCC. Delays in permitting have pushed back the building's construction, which was originally supposed to be completed by May.

The Rev. Richard Randolph of St. Stephen Church brought a group of 13 here to help for a week.

"Some of us began to talk after you got hit by the hurricane and kept getting hit," Randolph said Thursday. "We have done this since (Hurricane) Andrew hit Homestead, and the United Methodist disaster services identified this area as the focus of their help this time."

The group worked at a home on Quesada Avenue putting in tiles and drywall and doing roof work.

Randolph said the woman who was helped by the group told them after they completed some of the work, "I now have a kitchen for the first time since August."

"She said she had been living in a mess," Randolph said. "So many people are and they all need help."

Randolph's group spent its evenings reflecting on their faith and what they did during the day.

Jean Etsinger, IINCC's volunteer services coordinator, said the biggest task is organizing groups to come in when their particular skills are needed.

"Some groups have done this before and they work on walls or roofs, so we have to make sure they have work to do when they get here," Etsinger said.

In the past week she coordinated the group from St. Stephen, a large group from Michigan State University and even a baseball team from Indiana's Grace College, which worked on their day off from the recent Port Charlotte Invitational tournament.

"They take their vacation time and come," she said. "The number we can bring down is limited. We have groups scheduled until at least July."

The completion of the volunteer center will help the shortage of beds, but Celorie said he encourages people who live locally and who have a spare day or week to volunteer.

People who think they qualify for help from IINCC can call and get a caseworker. There will then be a home visit, and then a contractor will contact them as needed.

Call 206-2034 for more information.

HOW TO HELP

The Interfaith Interagency Network of Charlotte County needs volunteers and financial donations to help repair homes damaged by Hurricane Charley throughout the area.

Call: 206-2034

By mail: Interfaith Interagency Network of Charlotte County, P.O. Box 495987, Port Charlotte, FL 33949

Partners of Interfaith Interagency Network of Charlotte County:

American Red Cross

Charlotte County Family YMCA

Charlotte County Homeless Coalition

Charlotte County Housing Corporation

Charlotte County Human Services

Florida Baptist Convention

Florida Conference/The United Methodist Church

Habitat for Humanity

Lutheran Disaster Response/Lutheran Services Florida

Mission Unity

Peace Lutheran Church of Port Charlotte

Peace River Presbyterian/Presbyterian Church USA

Port Charlotte United Methodist Church

Project H.O.P.E. through Charlotte County Mental Health Services

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Services

St. Vincent De Paul Society

United Church of Christ National Disaster Ministries

United Way of Charlotte County

You can e-mail Bob Reddy at breddy@sun-herald.com.