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Although it’s impossible to predict how many residents will be displaced and what housing stock will be available to provide temporary living arrangements for these residents after a natural disaster, these tips can help your locality maximize the resources that are available to get residents on the fastest track to permanent housing.

Work on a case by case basis to figure out what works best for individuals and families.

• Try to identify the barrier to recovery for each person. It could be purchasing a bus ticket for them to stay with a family member five counties over, or money for a security deposit on an apartment. It’s a community effort that requires constant coordination between all agencies involved to find the best solution.

Be compassionate, and just provide something.

• Listen to the stories of displaced residents to gain the best understanding of their needs. If you can’t provide a temporary housing solution try to give residents something tangible to keep them hopeful – a gift card to a local grocery store or vouchers to travel to work on public transportation, for example.
• Think outside the box to provide any kind of support; ensure displaced residents leave feeling confident that local agencies are working to help them.

Be prepared mentally, physically and emotionally.

• Trying to help hundreds or thousands of displaced, distraught residents is exhausting. Take care of your individual needs first so that you can provide the most effective assistance and emotional support to those in need.
• Ensure you have enough staff and a staffing plan to prevent exhaustion.
• Be aware that the period after residents leave the emergency shelter but before they can move back into homes can be especially challenging for all involved.

Encourage displaced residents to take whatever housing they can get immediately after disaster hits.

• Immediately after a disaster, residents often aren’t thinking clearly; explain that the longer they wait, the more difficult it becomes to find a temporary housing solution.

When hotel voucher money runs out, work with other agencies to make sure clients are placed in as permanent of a situation as possible.

• They have lost everything; they need a dry, clean place to put their head, and a longer-term option can alleviate stress and allow residents to focus efforts on finding a permanent housing solution. After the August 2016 flooding in Louisiana, for example, the state launched a program to help residents staying in hotels when federal funding ended.

Bring realty groups into your sheltering discussions.

• Work with realty agencies to find available apartments and arrange for discounted rent.
• Ensure they are invited to your meetings with other stakeholder groups, including state and federal agencies and volunteer organizations.

Faith-based resources are one of the best resources for helping residents rebuild damaged homes. 

• They can help residents negotiate with FEMA, use the buying power of the church on materials and provide volunteers to lower the construction costs.
• Faith-based groups can also provide case managers to help displaced residents navigate the temporary housing and rebuilding processes.

Be aware that displaced residents can take advantage of housing assistance donations.

• Displaced residents are all impacted differently by the event; it can be difficult for residents to understand why some community members receive more assistance. Financial assistance can bring out greed and anger in residents, and some may try to take advantage of the system by double-dipping or lying. Have a plan in place to quickly track who received assistance, how much and what it’s intended use is.