The COVID-19 crisis has tested the resilience of social services in many parts of our country. At the same time, it should not be a surprise that across the nation we have come together to support each other and find creative solutions when needs arise.
I learned early in my career that the people best prepared to respond to a crisis are those who already know what resources and services are available on the ground.
This lesson speaks to a simple principle that has guided our nation’s response to this pandemic: solutions need to be federally supported, state managed, and locally implemented.
I witnessed this principle in action recently when a colleague from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reached out to tell me about two