Disaster Response, Recovery, and Resilience

Though tragic and difficult, natural disasters and crises often reveal a community’s true strength and resilience. In the case of wildfires and floods, these events are becoming annual occurrences. It is no longer a question of “if,” but rather “when.” As a result of this unfortunate pattern, communities are in greater need of resources, capacity and planning to prepare for and respond to these recurring events. Grants supported by the St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund are aimed at one or more of the three phases of disaster response – relief, recovery, and resilience. 

To be prepared for disasters, communities need an engaged and reliable network of organizations that can provide resources, logistics and people power. Our work is aimed at building up these networks by bringing diverse funders to the table and ensuring communities can mitigate a disaster’s impact on its residents and infrastructure. This work includes coordination with local hospitals, public officials, and volunteers to bolster on-the-ground efforts and strengthen a community’s capacity to serve its people. 

When an event overwhelms a community’s ability to prepare and it must rebuild, our grants help ensure that community members have a strong voice in the rebuilding process. We believe a community’s own people are best positioned to determine the strongest path forward after a disaster. Our investments build up communities by addressing both short-term needs such as food and shelter as well as building long-term strategies to lessen the impact of future disasters. 

The Fund’s disaster response and preparedness investments have largely been made in the state of California and abroad. With the expansion of the Fund to the entire Providence system in 2021, we will be able to support more communities system wide that are impacted by natural disasters.