The Louisiana Family Recovery Corps was created in 2005 in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Recovery Corps was established by then-governor Kathleen Blanco, along with the Louisiana Recovery Authority and the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation.

When Katrina and Rita struck Louisiana less than 30 days apart in the fall of 2005, countless international, national, and local governmental and non-governmental organizations descended upon South Louisiana to offer assistance, aid, and emergency services. Millions of people across the Gulf South United States were traumatically affected by these storms. Thousands of Louisiana families were forced from their homes and entire communities were shattered and torn apart all across our state and region.

The resources required to address the magnitude of the storms greatly exceeded those of any other natural disaster the United States has witnessed. There were many efforts, but little-to-no coordination. The Recovery Corps was launched in the aftermath of these twin storms in October 2005 to coordinate human services available to survivors.

Much of the early work of the Recovery Corps centered on providing much-needed services to impacted Louisiana residents in a short period of time. This also included NOLA Bound, LA Bound, and the Welcome Home Center, all programs designed to help bring displaced resindents back to Louisiana in the wake of Katrina and Rita.

NOLA Bound and the Welcome Home Center ran from November 2006 to April 2008. The Recovery Corps served 16,000 NOLA Bound/LA Bound clients and set 6,747 Welcome Home Center appointments. In total, all three programs served approximately 22,747 clients.

Additionally, the Recovery Corps worked with the American Red Cross to help build community resilience in areas hit hard by the storms. This $3.5 million program helped to rebuild a sense of community and restore traditions and emotional well-being in neighborhoods and communities throughout the state.