SHUR works with Congregations of all faiths and organizations to help Southwest Houston communities (and beyond) recover from disasters. We work in response to natural disasters to restore homes to safe, sanitary, and secure conditions and help neighbors who are struggling to complete their recovery. We advocate for repairs that help improve the community's resilience to future disasters and help our Congregations strengthen their readiness to respond to natural disasters.
Recovery
Recovery is the return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength after a disaster. SHUR participates in medium-term and long-term recovery through our Harvey Home Repair Program. We help homeowners who cannot afford to complete their repairs after a disaster such as Hurricane Harvey. We leverage contributions from Foundations and Congregations for materials and professional service with labor from volunteers to repair homes.
Repairs are contingent on the homeowner completing an application, our inspection to verify that the house was damaged primarily by Harvey and that the repairs are within our scope, and funding. While recovery is focused on fixing homes, we recognize our role in helping our homeowners find their way back to a normal state of health and mind.
Resilience
Resilience is the capacity for a community, for a family, to recover quickly from a disaster. Many homeowners in Southwest Houston, particularly in the most vulnerable neighborhoods, live with the certainty that there will be another flood while knowing they cannot afford to rebuild or raise their homes.
We encourage resilient repairs so that the next weather event is not a catastrophe for the family. We research and encourage homeowners to consider resilient materials such as waterproof flooring and stainless-steel kitchen cabinets that would survive a flood. Given funding, we want to help homeowners repair their roofs and complete other preventive maintenance to limit damage from the next storm.
Readiness
Readiness is the state of being willing to respond and fully prepared to respond to a disaster. SHUR works in partnership with other disaster response organizations as a member of Texas Congregational Disaster Readiness (TXCDR) to help Congregations improve their readiness.
Together, we lay the foundations for collaboration when disaster strikes, assure that we can communicate with each other and set standards, and train our Congregation's leaders so that our execution is efficient and effective. We believe that well trained and equipped Congregations are more willing to step up when disaster strikes to share the love of God through their service.
Response
Living on the Upper Gulf Coast, we know that intense thunderstorms, tornadoes, tropical systems, and hurricanes will occur. If we are not directly impacted, we know that our neighbors will be and that they will need our help. Through Texas Congregational Disaster Readiness (TXCDR), SHUR works with Congregations in the Southwest and our TXCDR partners to mobilize and coordinate our collective response to disasters. Our focus is on short-term recovery. We offer compassionate care, shelter for survivors, clean-up of homes and properties, and collection and distribution of supplies. We strive to help families repair their homes to a safe, sanitary, and secure condition. Last, we facilitate the hand-off of our clients to those driving medium-term and long-term recovery.
Southwest Houston United Responds is a Member of the Texas Gulf Coast Regional Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (TGCRVOAD). TGCRVOAD.org