SBP’s mission is to shrink the time between disaster and recovery. In 2023, your support helped us advance toward our goal of a more equitable, efficient, and predictable recovery system in innovative and transformational ways.
Our impact was made possible thanks to SBP's donors, volunteers, partners, staff, board, and AmeriCorps members—friends like you. We are pleased to share these highlights with you.
Resilient rebuilding for disaster-impacted families
In 2023, across SBP’s operating sites in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Puerto Rico, The Bahamas, St. Vincent (in the Caribbean), and South Carolina, SBP helped 954 disaster-impacted families return home, preserving $40.8 million in home equity. This assistance is particularly vital for low-income families and homeowners of color, for whom home equity represents a substantial portion of their net worth. By prioritizing resilient rebuilding, we're not just restoring houses, we're also fostering economic mobility and stability in communities ravaged by disaster.
Changing systems, increasing equity
SBP's Recovery Acceleration Fund (RAF) is reshaping the landscape of disaster recovery. Launched in 2022, RAF leverages impact investment dollars to expedite home rebuilding for low-income families. In 2023, SBP piloted RAF in Louisiana, rebuilding 18 homes, preserving $3.4 million in home equity, and proving the model works. Now, in 2024, RAF is poised to expand its reach to Florida, furthering its mission to increase equity and efficiency in disaster recovery. Learn more here.
Our Disaster Assistance Program (DAP) fills critical gaps in the system by assisting survivors in the FEMA appeals process. In 2023, DAP helped 439 families secure additional funds, collectively increasing their FEMA awards by $2,300,832. These initiatives underscore SBP's commitment to changing systems and advancing equity in disaster recovery. Learn more here.
Preventing harm in the face of a changing climate
In a world grappling with the realities of a changing climate, SBP is at the forefront of proactive measures to prevent harm and mitigate risks. Through our disaster preparedness education, in 2023, we reached 9.7 million individuals, emphasizing the critical importance of anticipating. By empowering communities with knowledge and resources, we're equipping them to face the challenges ahead with resilience and readiness.
Our commitment to building resilient infrastructure is reflected in our construction of 161 roofs to IBHS FORTIFIED standards at SBP rebuilding sites across the nation. These standards not only enhance the protection of homes and possessions by ensuring that homes can withstand category 3-force winds, but also lay the foundation for generational resilience, ensuring that vulnerable families are better prepared to weather the storms of tomorrow.
Accelerating recovery for communities across the country
SBP's Resilience and Recovery Fellows program is instrumental in helping under-resourced communities vulnerable to climate risks access critical funding. Through this initiative, Fellows raised or influenced $49,670,118 in resilience and recovery funding for three pilot communities, demonstrating the program's significant impact and potential in communities nationwide.
🔦 Fellow Spotlight: Matthew Wheeler of Lake Charles, LA
Matthew was instrumental in helping the Lake Charles Housing Authority apply for and receive $40M in funding from the HUD Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant, which will fund 562 new, affordable, and resilient homes.
Read our recent blog post to learn more about Matthew Wheeler's impact in his community.
SBP's advocacy work contributed to the passage of the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act by the U.S. Senate in late 2023. SBP has been advocating strongly for this bill for more than five years, and although it was not passed by the House of Representatives, we will continue advocating to streamline the recovery process to empower displaced survivors to recover more quickly.
SBP's Leadership Practitioner Course (LPC) equipped 2,042 government leaders with the skills needed to expedite the spending of over $81 billion in federal recovery funds.
Finally, SBP responded to several major disasters in 2023, including the wildfires in Maui, Hurricane Idalia in Florida, and the Tennessee tornadoes. These efforts show our ongoing commitment to immediate disaster response in communities impacted by disaster to position them for a prompt and efficient recovery in the months and years that follow.
Thank you for your continued support!