The Recovery Corps has delivered vital services and resources to nearly every parish in Louisiana. In addition to its proprietary direct assistance programs that provide home furnishings, rent/utility payments, home repairs, and case management services, the Recovery Corps has also performed and commissioned extensive research dealing with the existing challenges and needs of those still affected by the impact of the hurricanes, housing issues impacting storm-affected families, and barriers facing displaced Louisianians attempting to return home.

Though many assistance and recovery programs do good work and provide needed resources, many do not demand reciprocal accountabilities or effectively measure outcomes. The Recovery Corps’ programs are all designed to measure specific outcomes and collect specific data, further allowing our staff to develop quantitative research that provides an opportunity to understand the true needs of our citizens and further design new programs (or alter existing programs) that specifically target the greatest needs of those going through the recovery process.

Additionally, the Recovery Corps takes a unique approach to managing its programs. Many of the programs designed and implemented by the Recovery Corps engage the non-profit sector. This allows the Recovery Corps to assist in building the capacity of the sector as a whole, as prior to the launch of each program the Recovery Corps trains its non-profit partners in the key aspects that will help make the program successful.

Our research has identified some of the major barriers in the recovery process as the inability for many to re-establish their households with proper furnishings, the inability to pay for back utility bills, the inability to pay rent and utility deposits, the inability to pay higher rental rates associated with far fewer housing options post-Katrina and Rita, and the inability to afford to repair their uninhabitable homes even after receiving some federal, state, and insurance assistance. Thus, many of our programs focus on providing direct assistance in those areas, as this is the most efficient way to aid the most people in the recovery process.

The following graphs depict analysis of data gathered by the Recovery Corps related to needs of impacted citizens in the wake of catastrophic events: