Faith-Based and Volunteer Partnership Resources

Fires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, arson and active shooters can all affect houses of worship. With incidents occurring with little to no warning, many houses of worship are developing and updating plans and procedures to ensure the safety and security of their congregations, staff, and facilities. 

Training and planning exercises may enhance the disaster preparedness – and response and recovery capabilities and capacity – of the voluntary, faith-based, and community partner organizations, staff and volunteers. 

This page's resources may support your faith-based and community-based organization.

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U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SEAL

About the Office

The DHS Center for Faith seeks to build bridges across the whole community and to help overcome coordination challenges and engage a broad cross-section of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in all stages of the disaster cycle.

FEMA's Office

DHS's Office

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Find Faith-Based and Volunteer Resources

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Voluntary Agency Liaisons

FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons (VALs) build relationships among government, voluntary, faith- and community-based, private sector, philanthropic, and whole community partners who help communities manage disasters.

Learn How to Get Involved


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Mass Attacks in Public Spaces - 2023

An analysis of 173 incidents of targeted violence that occurred in public spaces within the U.S. that occurred between 2016-2020.

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Learn more at SecretService.gov.

IS-505: Concepts of Religious Literacy for Emergency Management

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Define religious and cultural literacy and competency in disaster management.
  • Describe how religious and cultural language differs from government culture and language.
  • Identify the skills needed to competently engage religious and cultural leaders and groups in the field.
  • Describe each step in the six step “LEADER” process.
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Religious and Cultural Literacy and Competency in Disaster (Training)

Cultural and Religious Literacy Tip Sheets

Engagement guidelines and other resources for working with leaders from different faith groups.

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Cultural and Religious Literacy Tip Sheets

Community Resilience: Using a Religious Literacy Primer to Improve Engagement with Faith Communities

The Field Guide provides best practices and guidance for government leaders and emergency managers on approaching and partnering with faith communities as part of emergency response and preparedness activities.

The Primer provides information on 24 faith traditions in the United
States, and emergency managers can use it as a guide to better partner with and serve faith communities.

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Community Resilience: Using a Religious Literacy Primer to Improve Engagement with Faith Communities

Video: Understanding The Insider Threat

This DHS video uses security and behavior experts to discuss how insider threats manifest in a variety of ways including terrorism, workplace violence, and breaches of cybersecurity.

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Watch "Understanding the Insider Threat" on YouTube

Mobilizing Faith-Based Community Organizations in Preparing for Disaster

This 8-hour, planning and management-level course trains faith-based community organization (FBCO) representatives, management-level emergency managers, and first responders from small and rural communities to strategically mobilize and engage members of FBCOs, including religious charities, nonprofits such as the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, churches (both affiliated and unaffiliated), temples, synagogues, mosques, and NGOs etc., in a reciprocal approach to disaster planning that is integrated into current local and statewide emergency management efforts.

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Learn more about this training on RuralTraining.org.

Preparedness for Child Care Providers

Two-hour course to identify, assess and plan for hazards at a childcare site.

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Learn more about this training from training.fema.gov.

Blue Campaign: Human Trafficking General Awareness

These videos provide an overview of human trafficking and the Blue Campaign. Human trafficking victims are often invisible because we do not recognize indicators of human trafficking. Identifying signs of human trafficking and reporting a tip may save a life.

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Watch DHS' human trafficking awareness videos.

DHS Blue Campaign

The DHS Blue Campaign  is a national public awareness campaign, designed to educate on how to recognize the indicators of human trafficking, and how to appropriately respond to possible cases.

DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) oversees the DHS mission to combat human trafficking and the importation of goods produced with forced labor.

DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT)

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