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Tips: Have a Flexible Plan for Temporary Housing Assistance

Disaster Housing Assistance Planning

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A line of FEMA trailers sit idle on rail cars.

FEMA manufactured housing units waiting to be dropped off to a disaster ravaged community in need of temporary housing assistance.

 

Planning for temporary housing assistance can be one of the most difficult aspects of preparing for a natural disaster due to the unpredictability of a storm’s impact on a locality’s housing stock. Likewise, each community has unique risks and resources when it comes to temporary housing — there is no “one-sized-fits-all” approach.

Local, state and federal agencies, in addition to NGOs, non-profits and other local and national disaster relief organizations work together to provide displaced residents with temporary housing facilities or the resources to make their damaged inhabitable. Use these tips to develop a plan that leverages your community’s housing resources and addresses the greatest risks to your locality.

Understand local, state and federal government disaster housing assistance plans.

  • Before you develop a disaster housing assistance plan, review the housing assistance programs made available by local, state and federal government agencies after a disaster. Know the eligibility requirements for each and identify which programs will be most useful for your locality.
  • Identify what local and national NGOs, non-profits and other disaster relief organizations will be most helpful in filling in the gaps.

Be flexible and prepared for multiple scenarios depending on the scale of disaster.

  • Have a plan for both large-scale and small-scale natural disasters, and for different perils, which can all have different impacts on housing.
  • Take into account factors such as flood and hurricane zones, and have a plan for how to provide temporary housing assistance for an entire community of residents in high-risk areas.

Search state-by-state for disaster temporary housing assistance planning.

  • Identify best practices from state plans that meet your locality’s unique needs; use those to develop a plan for your community that is executable. Temporary housing plans should be the culmination of discussion and planning, and identifying all potential risks and resources. The state of Florida provides one of the most comprehensive state temporary housing plans available and is a great place to start.

Evaluate your community in terms of the risks and the resources.

  • Know what areas of your locality are most vulnerable to different perils and evaluate the resources you have for long-term housing and rebuilding – whether it be hotel rooms, RV parks, or a local manufacturer or hardware store that can supply repair materials and staff.
  • Evaluate these resources based on their risk of being destroyed in specific perils — you might count on wind-resistant buildings during a hurricane or hotels on high land during a flood.
  • Take your population into account, for example how many residents are uninsured or under-insured, renters, homeless or live in mobile homes?

Pre-Identify interim housing resources in your community.

  • Reach out to potential resources to check on availability and willingness to assist after a natural disaster.
  • Compile a database of available resources and contact information for each. Interim housing resources should be identified within your locality and in surrounding communities, and can include schools, community centers, churches, colleges/universities, vacant rental units, seasonal properties, manufactured homes, foreclosed properties and more.
  • Have a backup plan for where to put residents if all pre-identified housing stock is unavailable.

Promote disaster preparedness among local residents, businesses and institutions.

  • Send public service announcements about disaster preparedness, such as clearing away flammable plant material on property or removing tree limbs that might damage a roof.
  • Encourage residents to have a plan, store key provisions and even practice simulations.

Designate a local disaster housing coordinator pre-incident.

  • The local agency tasked with leading disaster housing assistance planning should consider designating a staff member to lead disaster housing planning, maintain an updated database of potential disaster housing stock with contact information, lead meetings with all disaster housing stakeholders, keep the locality informed on the disaster housing process and take on other relevant tasks. This person should have knowledge of the local jurisdiction, housing programs and building codes, and have a strong relationship with partner agencies. If possible, temporary housing coordination should be their only post-disaster assignment.

Consider creating a local disaster housing recovery task force.

  • Representatives from NGOs, private sector stakeholders and government agencies can work together pre-incident to develop a plan and create a database of potential disaster temporary housing options for different scenarios.
  • During disaster response, the task force can help break down communications barriers between government agencies and NGOs that can prevent information sharing regarding specific individuals.

Coordinate with federal, state, local, voluntary and other disaster response agencies pre-disaster.

  • Delegate clear roles to each agency to minimize duplication of efforts and resources.
  • Consider bringing local realty groups and private sector agencies with a housing mission into your temporary housing planning. These can include building industry associations, manufactured housing associations, local housing authorities and property managers and rental associations. Local housing authorities, for example, can contact members for lists of vacancies.

Be familiar with state agencies.

  • They can be one of the best sources of help when local resources are insufficient to meet temporary housing needs, particularly in working with department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Know who to call in your state office for assistance, build a relationship ahead of time.

Coordination with small, local public and non-profit agencies is key.

  • Local non-profits, such as family support centers, faith-based organizations, housing associations and other social services agencies, can provide on-the-spot assistance. Because they are community-owned and managed, they have fewer restrictions on how they can use donations.
  • Build a relationship pre-incident and ensure they are integrated into housing assistance that will come from larger, national non-profit agencies and from state and federal assistance.

Be prepared for obstacles providing assistance to renters.

  • Landlords can be difficult to deal with, and oftentimes don’t want to put in the money, time or resources to rebuild rental properties. Have a plan and dedicate resources specifically for renters, who are often most in need of assistance but don’t have access to as many available federal or state resources.

Don’t forget about special needs populations.

  • Most localities have a special needs registry that can be used to pre-identify your special needs population. Ensure you have enough ADA compliant temporary housing options to accommodate them.
  • Take note of specific housing requirements for special needs individuals and have a plan for how to accommodate them.

Have a plan for sheltering displaced pets.

  • Identify multiple local animal shelters pre-incident that can provide staff and facilities immediately after a natural disaster.
  • Have a backup plan for a scenario in which all animal shelter facilities are destroyed by the storm.

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