Dallas, Texas

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Region VI Human Services & Disasters Summit
July 30 – August 1, 2008
Dallas , Texas

About This Event:

Recent disasters have highlighted the need for strengthening response plans and building partnerships between all levels of government, non-profit organizations, communities of faith, volunteer agencies and private businesses among many other stakeholders, particularly for the delivery of human services in the aftermath.  Region VI includes the States of Arkansas Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas and is prone to many types of potentially catastrophic disasters such as major hurricanes and earthquakes.  Such events could devastate local infrastructure and disrupt social services for an extended period of time.  Effective response to such instances will require strong coordination between community organizations and governments to protect the well-being of citizens.  The Human Services and Disasters Summit is designed to bring together partners with Region VI and provide a forum that promotes the exchange of information and ideas within communities to strengthen planning for human services disaster response and recovery.

Who Should Attend:

This Summit will be a unique, first of its kind event for Region VI.  Individuals from a broad spectrum of agencies, backgrounds and disciplines will come together to promote the effective delivery of human services to vulnerable populations during emergencies and disasters. 

Participants will include officials from State, Tribal and Local human services programs such as Head Start, Early Head Start, Child Support Enforcement, Child Welfare, Youth Development & Mentoring, Developmental Disabilities, Child Care, Foster Care and Adoption, Unaccompanied Minors, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Human Trafficking, Community Services and many other human service programs.

These participants will be joined by Federal, State, Tribal and Local Emergency Management Officials, Representatives from many Volunteer Associations, Faith-based and Community Organizations, and Academia from across Region VI to strengthen the dialogue on how we can all effectively support and assist disaster-impacted communities and promote recovery.

Partner Agencies:

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Region VI
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region VI
• Convoy of Hope
• City of Fort Worth, Office of Emergency Management
• Dallas Area Chapter of the American Red Cross
• Contract Consultants, Inc.

Continuing Education Credits:

15 hours of continuing education (1.5 CEUs) by Outreach and Distance Education at Texas Tech University will be offered at the Region VI Human Services and Disasters Summit.  A separate application will need to be completed onsite along with a check for $20.00 made payable to Texas Tech University.  Visit the information table at the Summit for more information.