Building Community Resilience
Utilizing generous funding from the American Red Cross, the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps was able to help re-establish hope and renew a sense of community for thousands across the state via its Building Community Resilience program. The program assisted disaster-impacted areas across the state in developing a renewed sense of community and social support by funding arts, wellness, and educational programs designed to address the emotional and spiritual needs of Louisiana citizens devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The BCR program completed two grant cycles and allocated a total of $3.5 million to 33 non-profit organizations to help re-establish community resilience and re-create legacies and neighborhood traditions that made so many communities across Louisiana so unique. Read more

High Risk of Homelessness Pilot
In an effort to help alleviate the homelessness problem, the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps initiated its High Risk of Homelessness pilot program in December 2008 designed to assist greater Baton Rouge-area families impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita who found themselves on the brink of homelessness. In addition to helping identify the true needs of disaster-impacted residents on the verge of homelessness, the pilot program provided the Recovery Corps with a first-hand prospective of how to engage a broader sector of non-profits in a coordinated way. Read more

NOLA Bound
NOLA Bound provided Katrina survivors displaced out-of-state with recovery planning assistance and critical, real-time information on New Orleans’ impacted communities. NOLA Bound provided information about school and business openings, employment opportunities, and the availability of housing or rental properties. The NOLA Bound call center fielded more than 22,000 calls and furnished more than 5,000 residents with a recovery plan.

New Orleans Welcome Home Center
Recovery Corps family liaisons provided survivors with recovery planning assistance at the Welcome Home Center in New Orleans. The Center offered residents the resources critical to their move back to New Orleans and provided a voucher program to help with the payment of necessities such as rental and utility deposits, transportation or moving expenses.

Emotional Well-Being
In a partnership with the Recovery Corps, the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health developed 14 culturally sensitive and cost-effective health interventions for children and families dealing with the mental and emotional aftermath of the storms. The Recovery Corps funded many organizations across South Louisiana to implement the Columbia interventions. Also, the Recovery Corps partnered with Louisiana Spirit and more than 100 churches across the state to provide storm survivors with opportunities to seek mental health services from trained professionals.

Summer Camps
During the summers of 2006 and 2007, the Recovery Corps provided more than 10,000 children the opportunity to participate in summer camps across South Louisiana. The camps offered children positive experiences for the summer.

School Uniforms
The Recovery Corps provided 16,000 school uniforms to children in 2006 and 10,000 school uniforms to children in 2007, replacing basic necessities lost due to storm damage.

Southwest Child Care Collaborative
As a partner in the Southwest Child Care Collaborative, the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps awarded grants to storm-affected child care facilities in Southwest Louisiana for minor repairs, educational materials, furniture and equipment.

Dryades YMCA Midnight Basketball Crime Prevention Program
The Recovery Corps provided $100,000 to the Dryades YMCA Midnight Basketball Crime Prevention program in New Orleans. The program gave hurricane-affected adolescents a structured, disciplined environment in which to re-establish social ties.