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A CASE STUDYIN CBO RESPONSE

TO A LOCAL EMERGENCYMarch 2014

A Snap Shot of ECHO

• ECHO, Inc.: Ecumenical Community Helping Others

• Provides charitable assistance to individuals and families in Springfield and Burke who are experiencing financial difficulties

• 100% Volunteer Organization

• Relies on donations from the Springfield and Burke communities

• Board of Directors: 26 member faith communities in Springfield and Burke

• IRS 501 (c) (3) formed in 1968

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ECHO History• Formed on May 22, 1968

– Representatives from 9 Springfield churches • Outgrowth of the Springfield Ministerial Association

• Incorporated May 2, 1969– ECHO should be simply organized – Lay, not clergy, dominated

• Grown from– 9 churches to 26 congregations– Assisting 12 families to 1,400– $1K financial assistance to $285K– 60 Thanksgiving dinners to 300+– A wooden shack to a 7,800 Sq. Ft. Warehouse– And still 100% volunteer (400)

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WE GROW THROUGH THE YEARS

1971

1986

2007

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ECHO is Ecumenical

• Assists residents of Springfield and Burke regardless of religion, race, color creed ,ethnicity or national origin

• Accepts donations and volunteers from anyone in the community regardless of religion, race, national origin

• Member congregations include Protestant , Catholic, Jewish and Baha'i faiths in the Springfield and Burke area

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ECHO’s Mission and Services

• Currently, ECHO focuses primarily on providing aid in emergencies in Springfield and Burke:– Financial assistance in paying bills for essential client needs, including:

• Housing • Utilities• Doctor’s Bills• Prescription Medicines

– To reduce client financial needs, provide emergency supplies of:• Food • Clothing• Household items • School supplies

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ECHO’s Support Is Local

• Support from individuals, businesses or organizations in Springfield and Burke– Particularly its member congregations– Boy Scouts, Postal Carriers, Local Businesses (Food Stores, Restaurants, the Chamber of Commerce),

Fairfax County Police, etc. • Donations of money, food, clothing, and household goods

– Congregation donations and drives– Donation Door– United Way/CFC– Other drives by other organizations for food, coats, money, etc.

• Volunteer Support– Approximately 400 volunteers– No Paid Staff– Administrative costs = less that 1%

• Coordination with Fairfax County Department of Human Services– Referrals in both directions– Some contract support

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ECHO as a Resource in a County EmergencyThe Springfield FireNovember 5, 2011

• In the early hours of November 5, 2011 a major fire broke out at 7236 Commerce Street, a building in the Springfield Gardens apartment complex.

• Fortunately , there were no lives lost or injuries sustained, but residents of all 11 units were displaced.

• Some found shelter with family or friends immediately, but most went to a temporary shelter opened by Fairfax County at Lee Recreation Center.

• This shelter was available through November 10 with the Red Cross providing food and bedding to the 76 victims (54 adults and 22 children).

• FasTran sent buses at 4:30am daily to get the workers to their place of employment and provided shuttle service throughout the day to transport families to schools, ECHO and the apartment complex.

• Fairfax County Coordinated Services had teams of social workers at the shelter all day November 6 and during the evenings of November 7-9, processing requests and providing services to respond to immediate needs.

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ECHO as a Resource in a County Emergency (cont)The Springfield Fire

November 5, 2011

• On November 7, ECHO’s volunteers sprang into action and began providing emergency clothing and food to the fire victims.

• On Tuesday, November 8, additional volunteers shopped for coats, jeans and shoes and we stayed open and staffed from 9:30 am to 9:00pm to respond to the needs of the victims.

• Throughout the emergency ECHO was able to provide emergency services in the form of clothing, food, bedding and housewares to 35 adults and 21 children.

• Since none of the 11 apartment units were available for occupancy for months , residents stored what personal belongings they were able to salvage elsewhere and sought alternate housing.

• Since ECHO is the home base organization to these clients, ECHO also provided assistance to help families relocate.

• ECHO did all this out of its own budget and food pantry.• Numerous generous organizations and individuals, however, did step forward and

present us with about $3,000 in donations.

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LESSONS LEARNED FOR EMERGENCY PLANNING

• CBOs/FBOs are a great resource in helping local governments to respond to local emergencies.

• CBOS/FBOS can play an effective role only if they are informed immediately of the existence, nature, scope and location and expected duration of the emergency.

• To be effective a CBO/FBO should have a COOP in place.• CBOs/FBOs vary significantly in their resources, services and capabilities to

respond to an emergency situation. • The County must rapidly identify :

– The CBO/FBO players needed;– The services needed from each– Defined roles and responsibilities for each CBO/FBO

• The County must provide the leadership and coordination to make the partnership effective

The Key Is Communication 11

Please visit us at: www.echo-inc.org

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