Building Disaster Resilience: Engaging Faith & Community Orgs in 7 Steps, Schemes and Mind Maps of Public Health

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Engaging Faith-based and

Community Organizations

Planning Considerations for Emergency Managers

June 2018

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Introduction

This guide provides a foundation for emergency managers to engage with faith-based and community organizations that can be partners in building a culture of preparedness and enhancing the security and resiliency of our nation. Faith-based and community organizations offer a wide variety of human and material resources that can prove invaluable during and after an incident. Collaborating with these vital community members will allow emergency managers to access a multitude of local resources and ensure members of the whole community can contribute to the disaster resilience effort.

Following the whole community approach outlined in the National Preparedness System, this guide builds upon the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) A Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management. The whole community approach to emergency management engages the full capacity of the private and nonprofit sectors, including businesses, faith-based and community organizations, academia, and the public, in conjunction with the full participation of state, local, tribal, territorial, and federal government partners. These organizations build an effective pathway to security and resilience when they collectively understand and assess their community needs, and then together determine how to organize and strengthen their assets, capacities, and interests.

This guide explains a seven-step process for effectively engaging faith-based and community organizations (Figure 1) developed, refined, and validated by the Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives (the DHS Center) in collaboration with emergency managers in several jurisdictions, faith-based leaders, community leaders, and subject-matter experts in religious literacy and cultural competency. The seven steps are:

1. Engagement;
2. Assessment;
3. Self-Guided and Group Training;
4. Technical Assistance;
5. Participation in Scenarios/Exercises;
6. Affiliation; and
7. Integration.

Emergency managers can view this guide as a starting point for expanding existing engagement practices with faith-based and community organizations as well as strategizing how to further implement whole community principles into emergency management activities. All disasters are local. Just as first responders from other areas defer to those in the impacted areas, faith and grassroots communities are encouraged to be involved in the response and recovery of their own communities.

Figure 1: The 7-Step Engagement Process

Through the seven-step process, emergency managers can identify and engage with faith-based and community groups in underserved communities and assess their capacity to participate in emergency preparedness activities. Based on that assessment, emergency managers can build partnerships with these groups, provide training and technical assistance to strengthen their skills, connect them with existing partners, and then integrate them into emergency management plans and exercises. The DHS Center used this process in a 2011 pilot in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and in several jurisdictions since then: City of Los Angeles/Los Angeles County, California; Lakewood Township/Ocean County, New Jersey; Albuquerque, New Mexico and New Orleans, Louisiana. The outcomes of these pilots demonstrate that communities can effectively integrate faith-based and community groups into emergency management plans and operations by using the customizable seven-step engagement process.

In addition to this guide, FEMA and the DHS Center developed a self-paced online study course: IS-505: Religious and Cultural Literacy and Competency in Disaster. The course was developed in partnership with the University of Southern California Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorist Events (CREATE). This course, and its companion tip sheet resources, were developed with the University of Southern California Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC) and the National Disaster Interfaith Network. In addition, FEMA personnel assisted the development of the course by providing their relevant expertise responding to disasters. The course provides emergency management professionals and faith and community leaders active in disasters with the religious literacy and competency tools needed to learn how to engage religious and cultural groups and their leaders effectively throughout the disaster lifecycle. Access the course and more information at www.fema.gov/faith-resources.

Houston, TX, September 6, 2017 – Faith Center of Houston’s First Baptist Church, a charitable donation center for Houston’s poor and disadvantaged, provides food, water, clothing, cleaning and household supplies to Hurricane Harvey survivors. FEMA partners with federal agencies, states, local communities, counties, Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), and tribal entities in providing assistance to disaster survivors. Photo by Christopher Mardorf/FEMA

The Benefits of this Approach to Engaging Faith-based and Community Organizations

The engagement process outlined in this guide provides three important benefits to emergency managers. Using this guide, emergency managers will be able to:

 Identify potential areas for strengthening existing engagement strategies and begin to create new partnerships with local organizations, particularly those in racially, ethnically, economically, and religiously diverse communities.

 Uncover numerous untapped community resources that can help prepare for all hazards.

 Incorporate resources from faith-based and community organizations (e.g., mass communications support, feeding, counseling/emotional and spiritual care, health care) into their emergency management plans and operations.

This guide contains tools that will make engagement more effective. The expansive, cross-sector partnerships resulting from this process will help establish a stable platform to enhance a wide array of community resilience activities.

Identified Outcomes from Engaging Faith-based and Community Organizations Emergency managers using this engagement approach uncovered previously unknown assets within local faith-based and community organizations. Faith-based and Community Organizations can:  Serve as communication hubs to distribute trusted messages  Host Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) classes and other trainings  Be used as points of distribution for emergency commodities and supplies  Provide staging area and reception sites for emergency services  Support mobile feeding and transportation services  Provide housing assistance and other social services  Join a Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) network Members of these organizations can:  Provide psychological first aid  Provide emotional and spiritual care  Help conduct welfare checks in the community

Pacific, MO, January 12, 2016 - Jay Grim and Sheri Mott talk to a Tzu Chi volunteer about disaster aid at the Multi-Agency Resource Center. Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation USA is a faith-based and non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian organization that helps survivors in disasters. Catholic Charities of St. Louis and the American Red Cross of Eastern Missouri are partnering with other local disaster assistance organizations to open a "one-stop shop" for survivors of the flood in Franklin and Jefferson Counties, Missouri that happened in late December 2015. Photo by Steve Zumwalt/FEMA

These organizations routinely provide critical services and help prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from incidents in the community. However, partnerships between emergency managers and faith-based and community organizations were not always defined in advance of an incident; rather, they were the result of ad-hoc agreements based on emerging needs. A pro- active engagement strategy helps emergency managers include what were once referred to as non-traditional stakeholders (or spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers) into their network of traditional stakeholders and incorporate them into emergency management plans and operations in advance of an incident.

For example, houses of worship, both large and small, including those in different faith-based, ethnic, and racial communities, may be able to augment their jurisdiction’s emergency preparedness. Emergency managers may increase participation in all-hazards support among congregants and other community members by promoting preparedness education, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) classes, and participation in Prepareathon. Similarly, engaging with denominations can greatly expand the partnership network.

Social service organizations and community groups serve many segments of their community, including immigrant populations, people with low literacy levels or limited English proficiency, senior citizens, children and youth, people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs, homeless populations, and low-income populations. These and other organizations can be important partners in reaching, as well as engaging, the strengths and resources of such populations in times of crisis.

Traditional emergency management partners are natural collaborators for this type of engagement. These organizations may offer trainings, or other forms of support, to help build partnerships with previously unreached faith-based and community organizations. For example, local chapters of the American Red Cross may have previously engaged houses of worship and faith-based groups regarding preparedness and shelter operations.

The faith-based and community sectors have a wide spectrum of resources that can help make communities more resilient. By creating a broad set of partnerships, emergency managers can gain access to this wide array of force multipliers and existing networks of community members who can aid in building community resilience.

La Paloma, TX, August 2, 2008 – A FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Team chats with a local Catholic priest about FEMA and services that may be available to members of his parish. FEMA worked with state, local, and volunteer organizations to provide services to residents affected by Hurricane Dolly. Photo by Patsy Lynch/FEMA

Government Partners That May Help Reach Faith-based and

Community Organizations

Other government offices may have existing networks with faith-based and community organizations throughout the community. Emergency managers should collaborate with these government offices to reach the broad set of organizations discussed above.

Government partners may include the following:  Faith and Community Liaisons: Elected officials may assign a staff member to constituent services or, in some cases, appoint an official liaison to faith- based, ethnic, and cultural organizations. This person may help identify the full range of potential partnering organizations in the jurisdiction.  Public Safety Officials: Police, fire, emergency medical services, and health departments, etc. often have relationships with partners throughout the community. These officials may be willing to collaborate with local emergency managers to maximize engagements with influential community activists, groups, and leaders.

 Local, State, Tribal, Territorial, and Federal

Government Offices: Many government entities have public engagement and outreach functions within their agencies. Public health offices represent one example of faith-based and community engagement. These offices typically have well-established community engagement platforms that may already include strong networks with faith-based and community organizations. Emergency managers may collaborate with local public health officials, particularly community health and public health preparedness divisions.

Seaside Heights, NJ, November 24, 2012 – A member of the Mormon Disaster Relief effort clears drywall from a home in Seaside Heights, N.J. that was damaged when Hurricane Sandy came ashore. Volunteer organizations like the Mormon Church and other faith-based programs provided free assistance to survivors in the affected area. Photo by Patsy Lynch/FEMA

“The collaborative piece, working with emergency management and the fire department, increased the value of what we were doing. We’ve been able to engage with people who weren’t previously at the table and with others who we weren’t reaching before in the community.”

- Shamika Ossey, Los Angeles County Public Health Department

Reach out to them. Unengaged groups may not understand the language, resources, and infrastructure of emergency management. Consider scheduling time with the organizations to meet with their leaders personally and to explain these concepts as needed. Emergency managers can also assign a staff member to attend one of the organizations’ regular meetings to begin building relationships with constituents.

Start the conversation with the organization’s current priorities and contributions to the community in mind. Emergency operations can often incorporate the service capabilities an organization regularly uses.

For example, an organization that already runs a soup kitchen likely has capabilities to support feeding efforts during an incident. Similarly, an organization that has a mobile healthcare capability could deploy in an emergency. Ask potential partners to share their experiences and areas of expertise. Discuss how the organization’s activities can be (1) enhanced through partnership, technical assistance, and/or training, and (2) incorporated into the larger emergency operations framework to serve the community.

Emergency managers should recognize that non- profit organizations will likely need to check with their funders to ensure they can add a response mission, specifying the length of time and type of response work, and considering insurance and liability requirements.

Schedule periodic meetings with faith-based and community partners. In many communities, it may prove difficult for all of the partners to commit to monthly meetings given their wide array of responsibilities. However, the benefit of periodic (even bi-monthly or quarterly) check-in meetings can be significant.

Inglewood, CA, July, 2014 – The DHS Center partners with the Council on Pakistani American Affairs, City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County Office, and University of Southern California Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC) to engage imams and leaders within the Islamic faith in disaster preparedness during Ramadan. Photo by Jannah Scott/FEMA

“The ‘whole community’ concept is changing the way emergency management engages the faith-based groups in the community. A lot of emergency management agencies have relied on partners to engage this valuable sector of the community. We’ve been waiting on these groups to come to us, and that is unlikely to happen. We started going to them directly. This initiative is about more than sheltering, feeding, and mass care; it’s about responding to disasters as a community. Now we plan and conduct exercises with the faith-based groups as part of Miami-Dade C.O.R.E. It’s really changed how we think about community planning.”

- Loubert Alexis, Miami-Dade County Office of Emergency Management

Work with partners to schedule regular meetings. Consider convening meetings in houses of worship or community centers, or integrating their engagement sessions with existing community meetings. Hosting meetings in community facilities, or co-leading with existing gatherings, may help increase participation, especially in communities where residents must travel long distances to reach a government facility. Finally, look for barriers that prevent community members from participating in meetings (e.g., limited access to transportation, inconvenient meeting times) and provide solutions where feasible (e.g., arrange for the meeting to be held in a location accessible by public transportation, schedule meetings to be held outside of work hours). Build relationships with leadership and influential individuals within the organizations. Influential individuals are those whom others trust, who may have a large knowledge base, and who have a significant network. Building relationships with such influential individuals will lend credibility to the emergency manager’s message.

Some emergency managers ask influential individuals to lead in the development of preparedness initiatives. Share your perspectives of emergency management strengths and limitations, and then allow partners to self-identify their strengths and limitations as well. Work with them to help coordinate how their resources might deploy to serve unreached communities.

Step 2: Assessment

Capabilities assessments may be used to determine how new partners might assist in emergency management operations. Appendices A and B include sample capabilities assessment forms for both organizations and individuals.

Use self-assessments to measure the organization’s capabilities. Faith-based and community organizations may have a wealth of previously unidentified capabilities and resources that can be used after an incident. Self-assessments are successful tools in identifying these capabilities prior to an incident. For example, in 2013, the Miami-Dade County Office of Emergency Management used the self-assessment approach and identified several previously unreported community assets, including nearly 2,500 previously unknown volunteers.

Track the capabilities, interests, and trainings of the faith-based and community organizations. Record information from the organization assessments for future planning purposes.

Step 3: Self-Guided and Group Training

Afford new partners access to fundamental self-guided and group training. See the links in Appendix C for examples of basic training used throughout the emergency management field.

“We’ve created ‘Disaster Intermediaries’ who are our faith-based partners in preparedness, response, and recovery. Within our EOC [Emergency Operations Center], we have a Business Operations Center [BOC] that deals with public/private organizations, and the faith sector has their own seat within this center. We now have four faith- based members who are a part of the leadership team for the faith sector of the BOC. These faith-based sector leaders are now part of the EOC response team—we trained them to function in that leadership position.”

- Joann Troncale, City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department

Step 6: Affiliation

Affiliate with exemplary organizations. Consider establishing formal relationships with the organizations that significantly increase their capabilities in community preparedness activities. An affiliation, or more formal affiliate program status, can (1) help fortify the groups’ involvement in emergency management activities, and (2) help the public identify organizations that have demonstrated their capability and willingness to help in times of crisis.

Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) can outline the role each organization will play before, during, and after an incident, and explain the processes for coordination. Common components of MOUs are organizational details, goals and objectives, operating principles, expectations, roles and responsibilities, and accountability.

Recognize outstanding organizations. Recognizing faith-based and community organizations and their members for their dedicated service is important. Recognition can convey to volunteers that their commitment is valued and encourage them to maintain or increase their involvement. For example, emergency managers in Georgia invited local elected officials to present certificates to volunteer organizations that participated in the Georgia Praise and Preparedness program. Similarly, in both Los Angeles, California, and Miami-Dade County, Florida, numerous partner organizations received recognition for their continued involvement in emergency management efforts.

Step 7: Integration

A significant part of institutionalizing the engagement of faith-based and community groups is integrating them into plans, policies, and standard operating procedures. See the link in Appendix C for a template developed by Miami-Dade Communities Organized to Respond in Emergencies. Jurisdictions can customize the template to meet their needs and should work with their legal counsel to ensure compliance with relevant data collection laws and policies.

Integrate affiliated groups into existing emergency operations plans. Writing affiliated groups into existing emergency operations plans can support the full integration of these engagement benefits into day-to-day emergency management practices. Furthermore, by outlining the roles and responsibilities of these non-traditional partners within emergency operations plans, subsequent emergency managers can both recognize and continue to build upon the work already begun.

Pratt City, AL, January 17, 2012 – Habitat for Humanity and Jewish and Muslim New York University student volunteers rebuilding homes after deadly tornadoes struck the Southeast. Photo by Tim Burkitt/FEMA

Sustainability

To sustain engagement efforts with faith- based and community organizations, consider how to support the effort from an emergency management staffing standpoint, and how to maintain the groups’ interest during non-disaster periods. Jurisdictions that participated in the initiative took a number of steps to accomplish these objectives, such as those outlined below.

Keeping Emergency Management Engaged

1. Staffing: Using the seven-step engagement process, some emergency managers maintain financial support by repurposing existing sources. One jurisdiction used a percentage of their discretionary funding to establish a Whole Community Planner position responsible for sustaining engagement activities. Another jurisdiction integrated this effort into its internship program, supporting certain functions such as geo- mapping, research, and periodic follow-up.
2. Seeking Additional Support through Partnership: Some emergency managers find support from other government sectors and organizations (e.g., public health, police and fire departments). In addition, private-sector partners bolster this type of community engagement through in-kind and direct support.
3. Shared Engagement Responsibility: Some emergency managers share incident leadership and coordination roles with local community leaders. By co-vesting community leaders with these responsibilities, emergency managers can still function in a support role to the community while redirecting some of their time to other agency initiatives.

New Orleans, LA, December 10, 2015 - This word cloud represents key words and themes from all of the participants at the 2015 Public- Private Partnerships Conference. Photo by FEMA News

A-

Appendix A: Organizational Capabilities Assessment Form

Use this customizable self-assessment form to aid in determining how partner organizations might assist in emergency management operations. Elements of this form were developed in collaboration with partners in Miami-Dade County Communities Organized to Respond in Emergencies (C.O.R.E.), the National Disaster Interfaith Network, and the University of Southern California Center on Religion and Civic Culture.

Partnering Organization’s Information

Name of Organization: _______________________________ Date of Contact: _____________

Name of Contact: ___________________________ Position in Organization: ______________

Telephone Number: ____________________________ Email: __________________________

Organization Address: ___________________________________________________________

Organization Main Telephone Number: ______________________________________________

Organization Main Email: _______________________ Web URL: ________________________

Organization Type (e.g., Faith-Based Organization, Community Based Organization):

---

Number of Members Total: _____ Number of Adult Members: _____

Does your organization have a Disaster or Emergency Plan in place? Yes____ No ____

What services/resources do you provide on a daily basis to your members or community?

To organization members To broader community Care for people with disabilities or access and functional needs

Child Care  

Clothes Distribution  

Commercial Kitchen ^  Community Center   Counseling   Food/Commodities Pantry   Medical Services   Security   Shelter   Shelter Management ^  Transportation   Other _____________________  

A-

Would your organization be willing to provide these services in an emergency? Yes ___ No ___

How is your facility/organization equipped to fulfill the services that you provide? (e.g., space, kitchen, equipment) _____________________________________________________________

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---

Is your facility equipped with a generator? Yes ___ No ___

Please provide information regarding the occupations and skills of members of your organization who may be able to serve the community in a crisis (please note any training or certifications obtained, as applicable/available):

 Chaplain / Spiritual Care Providers: _____________________________________________

 Crisis Counselors: ___________________________________________________________

 Individuals Trained in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)/First Aid:_________________

 Interpreters (please include languages, to include American Sign Language): ____________

---

 Medical Doctors: ____________________________________________________________

 Nurses / Licensed Vocational Nurses: ____________________________________________

 Paramedics/ Emergency Medical Technicians: _____________________________________

 Retired Public Safety Personnel: ________________________________________________

 Teachers/Child Care: ________________________________________________________

 Veterinarian or Animal Care Services: ___________________________________________

 Other (e.g., amateur radio operators): ___________________________________________

Does your organization have the ability to distribute food or other commodities to the community during a small or large-scale incident? Yes ___ No ___

 If yes, how many meals can your organization prepare and serve each day? ______  Does your organization have the ability to deliver food? Yes ___ No ___

Does your organization have a shelter space available for use during a small or large-scale incident? Yes ___ No ___

 If yes, what is the size (including square footage) and type of space that is available for sheltering?

---

---

 How many people can be sheltered? ______  Can people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs use this facility? Yes ___ No ___ (Please provide details) ____________________________________