What We Do
The Office of Human Services, Emergency Preparedness and Response (OHSEPR) ensures the effectiveness of human services in preparedness, response, and recovery from disasters and public health emergencies. OHSEPR does this by working closely with the ACF Immediate Office of the Regional Administrators and ACF-supported human services programs and their grantees.
Download our OHSEPR Fact Sheet.
Preparedness
We help human services programs support families affected by disasters through creating emergency plans and provide technical assistance and training to families and communities before disasters occur.
Response
Immediately after a disaster occurs, we help impacted communities address their human service needs, such as child care, child welfare, and energy assistance. We also look at how the disasters impact ACF-supported programs and help our grantees understand what flexibilities and waivers they can use so that they can continue to serve disaster survivors. When needed, we deploy experts on human services and the needs of children and youth.
Recovery
As communities recover from disasters, they face increased and new needs for human services. OHSEPR provides technical assistance to ACF grantees so they can do their work on the ground.
OHSEPR also manages the ACF Immediate Disaster Case Management (IDCM) Program. When activated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), OHSEPR deploys screened and trained case managers to assist survivors to recover.