COMMUNITY RESILIENCY
Responding to Urgent Needs Today and Strengthening What Lasts
A crisis can unravel everything. A lost job, a flooded basement, a medical emergency, a community-wide disaster. When life changes overnight, people need more than just good intentions — they need a system that responds with speed, care, and strength.
Community Resiliency is about more than reacting. It’s about preparing. It’s about weaving a safety net strong enough to catch people in crisis and a system smart enough to help them land on their feet.
Because resilience isn’t just about bouncing back. It’s about bouncing forward.
We work to make sure West Michigan is responsive — and ready.
What We’re Tackling:
Gaps in emergency response coordination
System fragmentation that delays help
Lack of real-time access to resources
Nonprofit burnout and underinvestment in infrastructure
When the unexpected hits, no one should feel like they’re on their own.
We don’t wait for disaster to decide what to do. We build the infrastructure before the crisis comes and we stay involved long after headlines fade.
Here’s how:
Providing Real-Time Help Through 2-1-1
Our 2-1-1 helpline is a 24/7 resource connecting people to housing, food, medical care, and emergency support. In the last year alone, we answered 78,000+ calls from across 15 counties in West and Northwest Michigan.
Coordinating Response During Emergencies
From natural disasters to large-scale housing challenges, we serve as a connector, working with government agencies, nonprofits, and funders to deploy resources quickly and fairly.
Strengthening the Local Nonprofit Ecosystem
We help the helpers. Through convening, capacity-building, and system-level alignment, we support the nonprofits that keep our region strong, because resilient communities need resilient organizations.
Mobilizing Volunteers Where They’re Needed Most
Through our Volunteer Center, we connect thousands of people each year with meaningful service opportunities, from disaster recovery to food distribution to community clean-ups.
Resilience is the ability to adapt, respond, and rebuild. We make sure our communities don’t just survive disruption—they grow through it.
Because of this work…
People in crisis find help fast, without falling through the cracks.
Nonprofits are better connected, coordinated, and equipped to serve.
Communities recover faster, stronger, and more equitably.
Volunteers and partners step in with purpose when the need is greatest.
When a senior finds shelter after a power outage, when a family gets connected to food and utility assistance, when a nonprofit finds the support it needs to carry the weight. That’s community resiliency and that’s how we move forward, together.
Ready to Be Part of the Solution?
Whether you’re a donor, a volunteer, a business, or someone who simply cares, your support makes these outcomes possible.