Our Story
During the 34 years I served as lead pastor at Foundry Church, our community suffered through five major floods. After each event, the story was always the same. We scrambled to dispatch impromptu mucking and gutting teams, collected donations for distribution, and offered temporary shelter. It was heartwarming to see so much love being poured into our neighborhoods. The enthusiasm was palpable and contagious, yet the effort was often frustrating, short lived, and ended with mixed results. While individual congregations performed well, the combined effort was reminiscent of a five-year-old’s soccer game --- so much enthusiasm but little coordination and organization.
After the enormity of the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, we realized something had to change. Feeling ill-equipped to meet the challenge, 24 congregations came together to form a long-term disaster recovery organization to serve northwest Harris County. HDR was launched in October 2017, with three staff positions, numerous volunteers, and limited funding. However, everything changed seven months later when UMCOR awarded us a grant of $8.2 million to manage their Disaster Case Management Program in the five surrounding counties. During the 2-year duration of the program we helped over 1,800 families secure $17.5 million in assistance for unmet needs.
At the same time, our Home Rebuild program received a boost with funding from The American Red Cross, SBP, and the United Way. We partnered with volunteer organizations such as Mennonite Disaster Relief, which has enabled us to repair 454 homes in three years, damaged by Harvey, Imelda, Laura, and the Winter Storm.
In 2020, HDR led in the formation of the Texas Congregational Disaster Readiness (TXCDR) program, in collaboration with Southwest Houston United Responds, The Restoration Team, Katy Responds, and 4B Disaster Response Network. This readiness program provides Coordination, Communication and Training for over 200 congregations. In the first year, TXCDR provided 2,800 hours of training for 1,550 volunteers.
Finally, to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic we expanded by adding Navigation and Basic Needs services. We established Vaccines for All to reach the most vulnerable communities and were licensed by the State of Texas as a healthcare provider. To tackle the housing crisis, we entered into a partnership with Harris County and the City of Houston to provide Rental Assistance. Finally, to mitigate food insecurities, we formed Disaster Hunger Relief, serving East Harris and surrounding counties.