24 Mar Humanitarian Action Plan Seeks to Build Houston’s Resilience
The Alliance recently joined the members of the Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative (HILSC) for the release of the Humanitarian Action Plan (HAP).
The HAP is a set of recommendations and a coordinated emergency management plan to increase immigrant resilience, contribute to a more efficient and effective disaster response and recovery, and improve the health and safety of all through future disasters.
Houston’s resilience, our ability to withstand and mitigate the stress of disaster, is determined in large part by immigrant resilience. Research shows that disasters disproportionately impact low-income immigrant communities. It’s been a year and a half since Hurricane Harvey, and we’re still in recovery with vulnerable communities, communities of color and immigrant communities lacking the resources needed to aid recovery and support resiliency.
The Alliance was joined our HILSC partners, BakerRipley, Fe Y Justicia Worker Center, and County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, to introduce the recommendations and give remarks on their best practices.
During the event, Esmeralda Velasquez, a Houston resident impacted by Harvey, spoke about her experience during the hurricane, the impact it had on her family, and her ongoing path to recovery.
An Phong “AP” Vo, JD, The Alliance Vice President & Counsel, made this statement: “There is a huge need for services in communities with limited English proficiency, but many of them do not know about the resources out there and are afraid to access mainstream services. The Humanitarian Action Plan is a significant step towards ensuring that we address the unique needs of vulnerable individuals and families from immigrant and refugee communities in our disaster recovery and emergency response efforts.”
“A year and a half after Hurricane Harvey, we still have community members who have not recovered yet and it is very challenging. With support from our partners, The Alliance is now providing long-term disaster recovery case management services to 2,000 vulnerable individuals and families to help them in their recovery efforts.”
The press conference concluded with a call to action, that whether on the policy, practice, or funder level, we all have a responsibility to immigrant resilience in our communities and disaster recovery in the Houston area.
Key recommendations:
Recommendation 1 calls for the suspension of immigrant enforcement within 200 miles of disaster zones, including operations at Customs and Border Patrol check points, to ensure that people can move safely for evacuation and re-entry, to access resources, and to reach recovery job sites.
Recommendation 3 calls for the development of data to accurately understand the impact of a disaster on vulnerable populations, including immigrants, and coordinate public and private recovery resources to ensure private resources reach those who are not eligible for FEMA and other federal assistance.
Recommendation 14 calls for development of an automatic registration system for emergency notifications (e.g., through the Harris Health Financial Assistance Program, Houston Public Library, 211 Helpline, and/or others), to increase access to accurate information for all.
Recommendation 20 calls for implementing staff and volunteer cultural safety and mental Health/self-care workshops to improve access to safe, secure response and recovery resources for all.
Visit the HILSC website for more information at https://hap.houstonimmigration.org/
See media coverage from the Houston Chronicle: Nonprofits outline disaster safety recommendations for immigrants