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JEFFERSON PARISH – Today, Resilience Force, the leading organization dedicated to strengthening our country’s response to disasters including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate-related damages following major hurricanes, fires, or floods, announces a partnership with Jefferson Parish to expand their reach within the city of New Orleans. The news is on the coattails of the creation of the New Orleans Resilience Corps last year, a wildly successful project lauded by government officials and media outlets nationwide.

The partnership will see Community Health Workers in the Resilience Corps working in tandem with Jefferson Parish to carry out community wellness checks across neighboring cities spanning Gretna, Harahan, Kenner, Marrero, Harvey and Westwego. Ranging from ages 18-35, this ten-person team will provide the community with COVID-19 vaccine educational resources as a means to deter the spread and protect its population.

“The expansion of the Resilience Corps Program into Jefferson Parish underscores the need for this type of programming not only within New Orleans but nationwide,” says LaTanja Silvester, Louisiana Director of Resilience Force. “As COVID-19 continues to surge across the country, it is crucial that we address the public health needs of our communities. This program will help to combat the spread of the pandemic in deeply impacted areas and provide jobs and financial stability for those who critically need it.”

The Resilience Corps is a diverse workforce development and jobs program that has been strengthening the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic while creating economic opportunities for those who have lost jobs over the last month. The Corps members have been performing critical functions in limiting the spread of COVID-19 including coordinating with contact tracers, conducting door-to-door canvassing and wellness checks, delivering necessities, connecting residents with city and state services, and more. For communities that have been impacted by the active hurricane season, they have been assisting those who have relocated to ensure they have food, supplies, and shelter.

“I’d like to thank Resilience Force for their important work and commitment to the residents of Jefferson Parish,” said District 3 Councilman Byron Lee. “We look forward to this partnership filling a critical void, enabling our community to rebuild stronger.”

“The data shows that the pandemic has particularly exacerbated issues in the young and underprivileged communities in our parish,” said Executive Assistant Keishelle Jones. “The key to effective recovery is to meet the community where they are through deliberate communicative education and access.”

The organizations hope that the partnership fills a critical void, enabling the community to rebuild stronger. For more information on the Resilience Force please visit https://resilienceforce.org/.

Resilience Force is a national nonprofit focused on mobilizing and advocating for the workers who are essential to helping communities recover from disasters, from the construction workers who repair buildings and roads after hurricanes to the healthcare workers who are on the frontlines of the response to COVID-19. Resilience Force works with local municipalities and state governments to recruit, train, deploy, and protect these workers, providing quality employment opportunities to residents while meeting the urgent needs of communities facing natural disasters, public health emergencies, and other crises. The organization draws on these efforts to advocate for the creation of a national, federally funded resilience workforce that will ensure the country is prepared to respond to the increasing number of disasters we face. Resilience Force was founded by Saket Soni in 2019. To learn more about Resilience Force, visit resilienceforce.org or find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

For more information about Jefferson Parish, visit www.JeffParish.net. Residents can also receive updates by following the Parish on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram (@JeffParishGov) or by texting JPALERT or JPNOTICIAS to 888-777.