United Way of Indian River County is proud to announce ANCHOR: Action Network for Community Hope and Organized Recovery, an initiative dedicated to building cross-sector support for disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation, ensuring coordination before, during, and after a crisis.
United Way’s mission is simple: mobilizing the caring power of the community. Every day – through blue skies and grey, United Way works to improve lives, inspire donors, and unite our community. In times of disaster, that mission becomes even more critical.
ANCHOR, Indian River County’s Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG), was created to ensure residents affected by Hurricane Milton and subsequent tornadoes have the resources and support needed to fully recover. By connecting people in need with those who can help, ANCHOR brings together supporters and partners to lead the charge in rebuilding homes, neighborhoods, and lives.
ANCHOR already carries out several core functions that strengthen community resilience and long-term recovery efforts:
- Community Engagement & Outreach: Educating and empowering residents through preparedness, messaging, public outreach, and community partnerships.
- Information Sharing & Situational Awareness: Coordinating timely exchanges of information with partner agencies to understand impacts, emerging needs, and resource availability before, during, and after disasters.
- Community Resilience Planning: Collaborating with partners to identify vulnerabilities, assess community assets, and develop strategies that strengthen resilience ahead of disasters.
- Cross-Sector Coordination: Aligning government, nonprofit, faith-based, and private-sector partners to ensure cohesive and collaborative action across all phases of disaster operations.
- Equity-Centered Disaster Services: Ensuring disproportionately impacted and underserved populations have equitable access to preparedness resources, response services, and long-term recovery assistance.
- Training and Capacity-Building for Partner Agencies: Providing ongoing training, technical assistance, and tools to strengthen organizational readiness and improve service delivery during disasters.
- Resource and Referral Coordination: Connecting survivors with needed services, materials, and support across multiple agencies and community partners throughout the recovery process.
Since its inception, ANCHOR has provided disaster case management to 26 clients and coordinated recovery efforts across 40 partner organizations, demonstrating the power of a unified, long-term approach to rebuilding lives.
The focus is on restoring safe housing, addressing health and safety issues, supporting survivors through disaster case management and emotional recovery services, and filling unmet needs with financial assistance, materials, and volunteer labor. By strengthening coordination among faith-based, nonprofit, and government partners, ANCHOR ensures recovery is local, collaborative, and efficient.
“Disasters leave long shadows,” said Meredith Egan, Chief Executive Officer, United Way of Indian River County. “True recovery requires more than short-term aid – it takes planning, partnership, and compassion. ANCHOR bridges the gap between emergency response and full restoration, helping our neighbors regain stability and hope.”
ANCHOR unites more than 40 organizations that have long served Indian River County, including the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, Volunteer Florida, Mental Health Collaborative, United Against Poverty, and Indian River County Emergency Management. This coalition ensures residents receive consistent, coordinated support as they rebuild their lives. Learn more about how you can partner, volunteer, or donate to support disaster response and recovery through United Way of Indian River County at UnitedWayIRC.org/ANCHOR.
