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Statement by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on the Creation of a Center for Faith-based and Community Initiatives

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 8, 2006

President Bush has signed an Executive Order that directs the Department of Homeland Security to establish a Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to advance our overall mission and strengthen the department's preparedness efforts. This Center will be a part of the Preparedness Directorate and it will help to advance several core elements of the department’s mission, in particular building a culture of preparedness in every community across America.

As directed by the President, the Center will conduct a department-wide audit to identify barriers to faith-based and other community organizations’ participation in our programs and activities, and propose ways to remove these barriers and to better integrate the community into our efforts.  As a result, the department will more effectively channel the unique resources and capabilities of faith-based and other community organizations in times of crisis, and on an ongoing basis, in preparing for catastrophes of all types.

Faith-based and community organizations played an instrumental role in response to Hurricane Katrina and they continue to be an essential partner in helping victims in the Gulf States region rebuild their lives and communities.  I commend their service and look forward to building upon several long-standing relationships, as well as forging new ones, through the department’s new Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.