Local Response Team

responding to the needs of families in crisis in our community

At any given time, in Rochester alone, there are hundreds of families and children facing crises. Sometimes, a crisis can be resolved by meeting a relatively simple need. And sometimes, meeting that need can mean the difference between losing stable housing or keeping it, or placing children in foster care or keeping them in their families where they can feel safe, stable, and loved. If prevention is the best medicine (and it is), then responding to these needs is a crucial way to bring hope to our community.

The Local Response Team at Gloria Dei works together to respond to needs in our community when they arise. Team members help in a variety of ways: networking with others, locating or shopping for specific items, delivering items to the people who need them, visiting with the family, lending a large vehicle that can carry furniture, lending muscles for moving that furniture, etc.

How it works

Gloria Dei is part of a network of churches that uses a platform called CarePortal, which connects people who can help with people who need help, in real-time.

A Local Response Team includes 3 primary roles:

1 - Providers

  • Provide resources whenever possible

    • Receive communication from a team that is working to meet a need in our community

    • Respond by giving money, going shopping, or donating actual resources that are needed

    • Deliver resource(s) to the team (not directly to the family)

2 - Responders

  • Visit families & deliver resources

    • The “boots on the ground”

    • Have the opportunity to interact with family members and connect with them

    • Make the actual delivery (with one or more teammates)

  • Provide resources whenever possible

3 - FACIlitators

  • Facilitate responses to requests

    • Browse open requests on Care Portal & choose requests to respond to (with team input)

    • Ask Providers to contribute resources

    • Communicate with the caseworker

    • Coordinate a time and people to deliver resources

    • Follow up with team after visits

  • Visit families & deliver resources

  • Provide resources whenever possible

what it looks like

  • New requests are made in Rochester constantly.

  • Response team members can be involved as often or as little as they have capacity for.

  • Our response team needs all different types of people - people who can talk and listen, shop, carry, drive, and many other skills!

  • Training is provided for response team members.

  • Meeting a family’s need happens on whatever schedule works for those involved.

  • Visit CarePortal and see for yourself!

how to help

Our local response team needs people that can help in all sorts of different ways. Let us know if you’d like to find out more!