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| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #882 |
| CBO Disaster Preparedness Initiative |
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| Requester: |
Mark Buchbinder |
Organization: |
Alliance for Human Services |
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| Project Title: |
CBO Disaster Preparedness Initiative |
Date Submitted |
1/4/2008 11:47:48 AM |
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| Sponsors: |
Bullard |
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| Statewide Interest: |
| The project request is fully in compliance with Chapter 216.052(1) |
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| Recipient: |
Alliance for Human Services |
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Contact: |
Mark Buchbinder, Executive Director |
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3250 SW Third Avenue |
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Contact Phone: |
(305) 646-7138 |
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Miami 33129-2712 |
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Contact email: |
mbuchbinder@alliance4hs.org |
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| Counties: |
Miami-Dade |
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| Gov't Entity: |
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Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): |
Yes |
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| Project Description: |
| Responding to the need for better preparation of human service agencies in the face of potential disaster situations locally, the Alliance for Human Services, in December 2005, initiated the Task Force on Human Services Preparedness and Disaster Recovery. The Task Force (comprised of human service providers, funders, first responders, and disaster preparedness experts) developed outlines of a plan that would lay the groundwork in developing a disaster preparedness/recovery course of action for human service entities in Miami-Dade County.
Through the direction and advice of the task force, the Alliance for Human Services developed the following plan that has four elements:
1. Human Service Disaster Coordination: Development of an overall community strategy for human services coordination and communication before and after a natural disaster.
2. Continuity of Operations Plan: The development of a model Continuity of Operations Plan (�COOP�) template especially designed for nonprofit human services organizations.
3. Neighborhood Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Initiative: The assessment of neighborhood needs and the training of neighborhood networks and other organizations to be part of the Miami-Dade County�s Office of Emergency Management�s CERT program. Supplemental training provided by partner organizations like the American Red Cross and Miami-Dade County of Office of Emergency Management will enhance neighborhood team preparedness, with a long-term goal of the creation of a series of Neighborhood Care Facilities
4. Re-invigorated VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters): Re-invigoration of a VOAD for Miami-Dade County that will oversee ongoing human services needs and training that relate to disaster preparedness, coordination, response, and recovery. The Alliance for Human Services seeks funding support from the Department of Community Affairs, along with local sources of philanthropic support, to fully staff and operate a revitalized Miami-Dade VOAD. The Alliance for Human Services and partner collaborators believe that the need for an effective VOAD is consistent with the second application category of serving as a project that will enhance coordination of relief efforts of statewide private sector organizations, including public-private business partnership efforts.
Important Notice on Vital Collaborations
The Alliance for Human Services has been closely coordinating our efforts with the American Red Cross of Greater Miami and The Keys and the Miami-Dade County�s Office of Emergency Management. The American Red Cross of Greater Miami and The Keys and Miami-Dade County�s Office of Emergency Management are collectively collaborating on this initiative and are adopting a similar strategic approach in our separate, yet complementary applications to the Department of Community Affairs� Emergency Management Competitive Grant Program. The Alliance for Human Services believes that the separate applications collectively form the separate components on a holistic and effective disaster preparedness/recovery approach needed in Miami-Dade County.
The Alliance for Human Services seeks funding support for the staffing and operations of a full-time coordinator for Miami-Dade County VOAD whose role will be to work with the American Red Cross, Alliance for Human Services� network of human services agencies and neighborhood networks, and Miami-Dade County�s Office of Emergency Management to implement the four aforementioned elements of disaster preparedness and recovery, with particular emphasis on the third element (�Neighborhood Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Initiative�). The Neighborhood Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Initiative is detailed below.
The Need for a Reinvigorated & Renewed Miami-Dade County VOAD
The Alliance for Human Services, along with our community partners and key collaborators, the American Red Cross and the Miami-Dade County Office of Emergency Management, strongly view the re-establishment of a Miami-Dade County Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster as a key component in fostering an ethos of disaster preparedness and coordination. As of date, the local chapter of VOAD is inactive, with lack of direction and leadership. For Miami-Dade County, the State�s most populated county and host to the some of Florida�s most economically and socially vulnerable, the continual lack of an active VOAD threatens the effectiveness of Miami-Dade County�s emergency response to a potential natural disaster.
To this end, the Alliance for Human Services is actively working with the American Red Cross and Miami-Dade OEM in reactivating a local VOAD. The process of reactivating VOAD will entail a two-tiered process that encapsulates two key elements of the Alliance for Human Services� Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Initiative. The tiers include the creation, implementation, and evaluation of a Continuity of Operations Plan for Miami-Dade County Human Service providers and the creation of a guiding committee that will seek to identify national and state best practices for effective VOADs. Finally, recognizing the fact that few county VOADs have full-time staff, the proposed staff will contribute to the further development of the State of Florida VOAD.
COOP Development
A disturbing realization for the Alliance for Human Services after Hurricane Wilma was the fact that few of Miami-Dade County�s human service providers were adequately prepared for Wilma�s effects or were able to play a proper role in how their services might assist in response and recovery efforts. The Alliance for Human Services believes that an aggressive program of preparation and service continuity involves the creation of a model Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) that is tailored for nonprofit service providers. The development of the model, followed by training and the professional evaluation of completed COOPs, alone will promote the goal of preparedness. The evaluation of those COOPs will provide the Alliance and its collaborators with guidance on the capacity of individual service providers to serve effectively in the event of a disaster. Those providers that are evaluated as capable of supporting first responders effectively will serve as identified recruitment candidates for the aforementioned revitalized Miami-Dade VOAD.
Community Budget Issue Request Grant Request:
The Alliance for Human Services and its community partners, the American Red Cross and the Miami-Dade Office of Emergency Management, believe the re-activation of VOAD in Miami-Dade County will require a full-time VOAD Coordinator and support staff who will carry out much of the coordination and education outreach to the human service community. Among the anticipated assigned responsibilities of the Coordinator will include:
� Implementation and ongoing maintenance of the Alliance for Human Services Human Services Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Initiative, including the Neighborhood Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Initiative (see below).
� Recruitment, coordination of training (including cross-training), and convening of VOAD members on an ongoing, regular basis.
� Development of an organizational structure, identity, and sustainability plan for VOAD Miami-Dade (The Alliance for Human Services will actively assist in the development and execution of the sustainability plan).
� Publication of ongoing information regarding disaster preparedness.
� Further integration and a defined role in the Miami-Dade County Office of Emergency Management�s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
� Coordination of disaster preparation and recovery activities on non-governmental organizations.
� Coordinate with and assist the State of Florida VOAD.
Neighborhood Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Initiative
The Alliance for Human Services supports the development of Neighborhood Resource Networks (NRNs) to help neighborhoods identify, mobilize, and coordinate the resources that are available to provide services to local residents. These services consist primarily of early intervention and prevention services to strengthen families, improve health outcomes, promote success in school for young children and youths, and promote safe and supportive communities.
The NRNs are spread throughout six distinct geographical areas within Miami-Dade County: Little Havana; Little Haiti; Homestead/Florida City; North Miami; Gladeview; and, Sweetwater. All NRNs are composed of neighborhood residents, community leaders, community and faith-based organizations, and local private businesses. The NRNs are designed to represent the needs and interests of the neighborhood, help plan on behalf of the neighborhood, and coordinate and provide services for residents based on teamwork planning and what residents say about their needs and interests.
Each NRN has a Neighborhood Resource Center as its lead partner and financial agent. These Neighborhood Centers are physically located in the neighborhoods they serve, where they supply the local residents with information about, and referrals to, a network of agencies; some of the Neighborhood Centers also serve as an accessible �hub� of services for residents. Given the wide-ranging activities and widespread support of the NRNs, each can become a catalyst to attract economic activities and affordable housing to a neighborhood.
With this organizational structure in place, the Alliance for Human Services is in the process of developing a plan and implementation strategy that in four (4) steps will:
1. Engage the six (6) pilot neighborhoods where existing nonprofit, faith-based, and community collaboratives (currently known as Neighborhood Resource Networks or NRNs existing in Little Haiti, Little Havana, North Miami, Sweetwater, Gladeview, and Homestead/Florida City) will be prepared and trained by the start of next hurricane season;
2. Plan & Prepare: Have NRNs undertake preparation of agency infrastructure and personnel. Related to this, develop all-hazard Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for service provision for neighborhood agencies within NRNs.
� Train for Response and Recovery: Develop a training curriculum for representatives of NRNs, possibly via Miami-Dade County�s Office of Emergency Management Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. The 20-hour training CERT program is done with the intention of developing teams to respond to emergencies. These teams can be organized at the neighborhood level to give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that help improve the safety of the community.
3. On-going Development, Training, Evaluation, and Organizing: Once Neighborhood CERT networks have been established in the six (6) target neighborhoods, follow-up training, provided primarily by the American Red Cross of Greater Miami and The Keys County, will be provided to identify and develop:
� a central neighborhood CARE centers/facilities (or Disaster Information & Referral Center-DIRC) that would be hurricane prepared with basic supplies (dry-goods food) to meet the immediate needs of the community, including communication (shortwave radio, etc.) and information management (see �Overview of Neighborhood CARE Model� provided below);
� individualized neighborhood strategies for care of elderly and special-needs populations;
� Disaster Exercise Scenario Simulations to test the Neighborhood CERT networks� disaster plans and refresh their skills
� Volunteer Coordination
� Intergovernmental and interagency service coordination
� Coordinated case management;
� Working with funders and standards for soliciting/managing of monetary donations;
� Ongoing NRN Cluster meetings with partial focus on improving their emergency response services.
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| Is this a project related to a federal or state declared disaster? |
No |
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| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: |
| 1) Improved Agency/Community Preparedness and Planning
� Basic Agency/NRN Disaster Plans in Place: Each agency will have its own individual emergency COOP plan that is designed to enable it to work in harmony with other community agencies and the overall emergency response structure.
� Self & Home Preparedness Orientation: Agency employees, volunteers, or community members will receive an orientation on preparedness to feel secure in their ability to deal effectively with emergencies, learn simple response skills, and feel safer whether at home, at work or on the road.
2) Training: Six (6) New CERT Trained Neighborhood Teams
The CERT program includes instruction that will provide the teams with the skills and knowledge necessary to effect a rapid and effective rescue operation. Once a planning and training process has been completed, we believe that our target community nonprofits will be able to assist with disaster recovery efforts, even though this is not presently a core element of their work. We envision their being able to carry out one or more of the following functions:
� Support incident management, logistics, or resources;
� Incident victim registration and referral;
� Public health support (including counseling);
� Provision of emergency services and supplies;
� Community communication liaison services;
� Language translation;
� Community organization and volunteer coordination;
� Other functions required to establish community stability;
� Identifying, preparing, and staffing Neighborhood Care Centers.
3) Strengthened Neighborhood Resource Networks for Disaster Preparedness, Response, & Recovery
The Alliance for Human Services supports the development of Neighborhood Resource
Networks (NRNs) to help neighborhoods identify, mobilize, and coordinate the resources that are available to provide services to local residents. These services consist primarily of early intervention and prevention services to strengthen families, improve health outcomes, promote success in school for young children and youths, and promote safe and supportive communities.
The current NRNs are spread throughout six (6) distinct geographical areas within Miami-Dade County: Little Havana; Little Haiti; Homestead/Florida City; North Miami; Gladeview; and, Sweetwater. All NRNs are composed of neighborhood residents, community leaders, community and faith-based organizations, and local private businesses. The NRNs are designed to represent the needs and interests of the neighborhood, help plan on behalf of the neighborhood, and coordinate and provide services for residents based on teamwork planning and what residents say about their needs and interests.
Each NRN has a Neighborhood Resource Center as its lead partner and financial agent. These Neighborhood Centers are physically located in the neighborhoods they serve where they supply local residents with information about, and referrals to, a network of agencies. Some of the Neighborhood Centers also serve as an accessible hub of services for residents. Given the wide-ranging activities and widespread support of the NRNs, each can become a catalyst to attract economic activities and affordable housing to a neighborhood.
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| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: |
$100,000 |
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| Total cost of the project: |
$125,000 |
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| Request has been made to fund: |
Operations |
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| What type of match exists for this project? |
Private |
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Cash Amount |
$25,000 |
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| Was this project previously funded by the state? |
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No |
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| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? |
No |
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| Is there a documented need for this project? |
Yes |
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Documentation: |
Miami-Dade Social Services Master Plan 2005-2007 |
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| Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)? |
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No |
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| Is this a water project as described in Section 403.885, Laws of Florida? |
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No |
