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Hold a town hall meeting early on in the post disaster recovery process.

• Work with community leaders to organize a town hall meeting to educate homeowners on the application process and program timeline.
• Provide applicants with your contact information so they can reach out with questions.

Don’t set expectations too high or too low. 

• Set realistic expectations for the community, and don’t make any promises.
• Set the bar in the middle, leave room for it to fluctuate — the process is unpredictable and can move more quickly or slowly than expected.

Get familiar with the community.

• If you’re not familiar with the community or your applicants, spend time getting to know the community.
• Know what’s important to applicants, the local priorities and any issues that had existed before the disaster. Homeowners want the “local touch.”

Establish regular communications with local leaders.

• Constantly update community leaders on the status of the application process. They can disseminate information to constituents on your behalf and should have the most updated, accurate information.

Set up field offices.

• If your agency’s office isn’t located in close proximity to your applicants, set up field offices to make it easier for homeowners and contractors to visit ask questions.
• If in a large, urban area, setup multiple field offices to accommodate all locations. Face-to-face communication is key.