Disaster Housing Recovery, Research, & Resilience

  • DHR

    Disaster Housing Recovery, Research, and Resilience

    America’s disaster housing framework is broken and in need of major reform. When disasters strike, the lowest-income survivors – including people of color, seniors, people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, people with limited English proficiency, and other individuals – are often hardest hit and have the fewest resources and face the longest, steepest path to recovery. Despite the clear need, federal efforts frequently leave these survivors without the assistance needed to get back on their feet and their communities less resilient to future disasters. The result is a disaster housing recovery framework that exacerbates and reinforces racial, income, and accessibility inequities at each stage of response and recovery. As a result, NLIHC works to advance housing justice through disaster housing recovery, resilience, and research.

    NLIHC leads the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) of more than 900 national, state, and local organizations, including many working directly with disaster-impacted communities and with first-hand experience recovering after disasters. We work to ensure that federal disaster recovery efforts reach all impacted households, including the lowest-income seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and other at-risk populations who are often the hardest-hit by disasters and have the fewest resources to recover afterwards.

    With over 900 local, state, and national member organizations, the DHRC is a vibrant ecosystem of information sharing and collaboration. DHRC meetings and events often result in new or strengthened partnerships between member organizations and conversations that steer our collective approach to disaster justice. Sign up to join the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition and take part in our weekly national calls as well as receive weekly updates on policy reforms and analysis, congressional action, and opportunities for engagement.  

    7 Key Principles

    The DHRC is organized around key principles to ensure a just and equitable recovery for the lowest-income and most marginalized disaster survivors and their communities. These principles include:

    1. Everyone in need receives safe, temporary housing where they can reconnect with family and community.
    2. Securing help from government is accessible, understandable, and timely.
    3. Displaced people have access to the resources they need for as long as they need to safely and quickly recover housing, personal property and transportation; disaster rebuilding jobs and contracts are locally sourced, whenever possible.
    4. Everyone is fairly assisted to fully and promptly recover through transparent and accountable programs and strict compliance with civil rights laws, with survivors having a say in the way assistance is provided.
    5. All homeowners are able to quickly rebuild in safe, quality neighborhoods of their choice.
    6. Renters and anyone experiencing homelessness before the disaster quickly get quality, affordable, accessible rental property in safe, quality neighborhoods of their choice.
    7. All neighborhoods are free from environmental hazards, have equal quality and accessible public infrastructure, and are safe and resilient.

    NLIHC both conducts its own research on the impact of disasters on low-income households and seeks to foster the spread of research on the topic elsewhere. The NLIHC-led Housing Recovery Research Consortium is a group of scholars and applied researchers from 25 research institutions and advocacy organizations whose purpose is to achieve data transparency and greater access to high-quality data on disaster assistance and recovery; support research through collaboration and the sharing of data and findings; and communicate research findings to the public and advocates. The consortium typically meets twice yearly.

    Read our latest Disaster Housing Research Reports:

    Stay updated on recent disaster housing research news!

    As climate-change influenced disasters become more common and severe, the effort to mitigate potential harms and increase community resilience is an absolute necessity. With the growing threat of climate change, natural disasters will occur with greater frequency and intensity in more areas in our country. The lowest-income and most marginalized households are often most at risk because government policies have located their homes in high-risk areas and policymakers have failed to invest in the infrastructure needed to prevent harm. Not only do mitigation and resilience efforts actively reduce risks to life and property, but they can also save money in the long-term, lessening the need for expensive, large-scale recovery projects after a disaster. A study by the National Institute of Building Sciences found that every dollar spent on mitigation saves six dollars in recovery funding. For these investments to have its greatest protective and cost-saving effect, they must be used equitably.

    Low-income communities did not choose to place themselves in areas with high risk of disaster. Often, these communities were forced into their current location by federal, state, and local policies designed to enforce segregation and inequality. More and more low-income households may be pushed into harm's way as developers and the housing market overall react to the increasing threat of climate change. We have already seen raising rents and land prices in low-risk areas. By implementing equitable mitigation strategies as part of a comprehensive plan for environmental justice, policymakers can slow or halt climate change-created displacement.

    Additionally, as federal funding is approved for mitigation projects, some planners and policymakers may see an opportunity to utilize these funds to expand local tax or revenue streams by investing in wealthier areas that surround the low-income communities that are at a greater risk of disaster damage. This preference for investing in higher-income, white communities and the lack of investment in marginalized communities has occurred repeatedly throughout the country. Instead, mitigation efforts must be directed to areas directly impacted by disasters before focusing on broader mitigation needs.

    Above all else, mitigation goals should focus on bringing marginalized communities up to a basic standard of infrastructure and protection from future disasters. These are often areas where redlining, segregation, and entrenched inequality have prevented substantial investment in infrastructure. It is important that mitigation planning accounts for parts of the community that have been ignored or harmed by disaster-related planning.

    The mitigation needs of homeowners, renters, and people experiencing homelessness should be equitably addressed. Communities should strive to integrate the affordable housing needs of an area into its mitigation planning and include mitigation needs into affordable housing plans.

    For more information on NLIHC’s work in disaster recovery, research, and resiliency, please contact Noah Patton, Manager of Disaster Housing Recovery ([email protected]) and Meghan Mertyris, Disaster Housing Recovery Analyst ([email protected]).

  • DHR Toolkit

    Disaster Housing Recovery Toolkit

    NLIHC's "Advancing Equity: Strategies, Tactics, and Best Practices for Disaster-Impacted Communities" is a comprehensive toolkit for advocates and organizers in communities that have experienced or are likely to experience climate change-induced disasters. Alongside their other destructive consequences, disasters cause housing instability, homelessness, and permanent displacement and often exacerbate existing racial and social inequities. 

    Advocates are encouraged to use the new toolkit to educate policymakers and the public about the systemic barriers to equitable and complete disaster housing recovery and the steps necessary for reforming our nation’s disaster housing recovery framework. 

    The new toolkit draws upon discussions held earlier this year at a national convening of the NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC). Part of NLIHC’s ongoing Disaster Housing Recovery, Research, and Resilience (DHR) initiative, the DHRC comprises more than 900 national, state, and local organizations, including many working directly with disaster-impacted communities and with first-hand experience recovering after disasters. The coalition works to ensure that federal disaster recovery efforts reach the lowest-income and most marginalized survivors by providing recommendations about disaster recovery reforms and creating materials and programming to assist organizations working in disaster-stricken areas. 

    DHR Toolkit 
     

  • DHRC

    Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition

    NLIHC leads the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) of more than 900 national, state, and local organizations, including many working directly with disaster-impacted communities and with first-hand experience recovering after disasters. We work to ensure that federal disaster recovery efforts reach all impacted households, including the lowest-income seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and other at-risk populations who are often the hardest-hit by disasters and have the fewest resources to recover afterwards.

    With over 900 local, state, and national member organizations, the DHRC is a vibrant ecosystem of information sharing and collaboration. DHRC meetings and events often result in new or strengthened partnerships between member organizations and conversations that steer our collective approach to disaster justice. Sign up to join the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition and take part in our weekly national calls as well as receive weekly updates on policy reforms and analysis, congressional action, and opportunities for engagement.  

    7 Key Principles

    The DHRC is organized around key principles to ensure a just and equitable recovery for the lowest-income and most marginalized disaster survivors and their communities. These principles include:

    1. Everyone in need receives safe, temporary housing where they can reconnect with family and community.
    2. Securing help from government is accessible, understandable, and timely.
    3. Displaced people have access to the resources they need for as long as they need to safely and quickly recover housing, personal property and transportation; disaster rebuilding jobs and contracts are locally sourced, whenever possible.
    4. Everyone is fairly assisted to fully and promptly recover through transparent and accountable programs and strict compliance with civil rights laws, with survivors having a say in the way assistance is provided.
    5. All homeowners are able to quickly rebuild in safe, quality neighborhoods of their choice.
    6. Renters and anyone experiencing homelessness before the disaster quickly get quality, affordable, accessible rental property in safe, quality neighborhoods of their choice.
    7. All neighborhoods are free from environmental hazards, have equal quality and accessible public infrastructure, and are safe and resilient.

    Advocacy Successes

    Together, DHRC members successfully advocated to:

    • Reform long-standing FEMA policies requiring title documentation for homeowners to apply for assistance. Title requirements prevented thousands of disaster survivors from receiving assistance, especially homeowners of color and those impacted by Hurricane Maria in 2017.
    • Successfully advocate for significant changes to FEMA’s Individual Assistance benefiting renters and homeowners with low-incomes after disasters.
    • Create the Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing (RUSH) program at HUD to provide displaced disaster survivors with the longer-term direct rental assistance and supportive services they need to get back on their feet.
    • Enact the “Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022” to create a hazard assessment rating system for census tracts across the country.
    • Expand and sustain the use of fully FEMA-reimbursed hotel rooms and similar facilities for use as non-congregate sheltering for those experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Support the release of a landmark report detailing the federal response to Hurricanes Harvey and Maria, “Civil Rights and Protections during the Federal Response to Hurricanes Harvey and Maria.”
    • Ensure the Trump administration released recovery funding to Puerto Rico after the administration delayed these resources.


    Ways to Take Action

    • Learn more about the DHRC and its Policy Priorities under the "DHRC Policy Priorities" tab above.
    • Access DHRC Advocacy Materials under the "DHRC Advocacy Materials" tab above.
    • Become a DHRC Member and see of list of Current DHRC Members
    • Join a DHRC Working Group under the "DHRC Working Groups" tab above.
    • Stay updated!

    For more information on NLIHC’s work in disaster recovery, research, and resilience, please contact Noah Patton, Manager of Disaster Housing Recovery ([email protected]) and Meghan Mertyris, Disaster Housing Recovery Analyst ([email protected]).

  • DHRC Working Groups

    DHRC Working Groups

    Join a Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) working group to help ensure a complete and equitable disaster recovery for America’s lowest-income and most marginalized disaster survivors.

    Disaster Recovery Working Group

    • Every Wednesday at 2:00 pm ET
    • The DHRC holds weekly calls to hear updates from members on disaster recovery efforts from around the country, share best practices, and stay up to date on the latest federal changes to the disaster recovery response framework.
    • *This call is closed to the press and will not be recorded.
    • Register for the Disaster Recovery Working Group at: https://bit.ly/3Rm08rb

    Puerto Rico Working Group

    • Every Other Thursday at 3:00 p.m. EST
    • The Puerto Rico working group has been meeting since Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the island and has continued through the recent earthquakes and now Hurricane Fiona. This working group is facilitated by the DHRC, but it is led by advocates and organizations working in Puerto Rico.
    • *This call is closed to the press and will not be recorded.
    • Please reach out to Noah Patton at [email protected]

    Hawai'i Working Group

    • Every Thursday at 4:00 p.m. EST
    • The DHRC Hawai’i Wildfires Working Group was established in 2023 to create clear channels of communication with housing and community advocates in Maui, amplify federal housing advocacy efforts, and provide best practices, technical assistance, support, and solidarity for those conducting housing recovery efforts in the aftermath of the catastrophic fires. Group membership is open to all advocates in Hawaiʻi and by invitation only for advocates in the continental U.S. Hosted in conjunction with the National Housing Law Project.
    • *This call is closed to the press and will not be recorded.
    • Please reach out to Noah Patton at [email protected]

    For more information on NLIHC’s work in disaster recovery, research, and resiliency, please contact Noah Patton, Manager of Disaster Housing Recovery ([email protected]) and Meghan Mertyris, Disaster Housing Recovery Analyst ([email protected]).

  • DHRC Policy Priorities

    DHRC Policy Priorities

    The Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) urges Congress, FEMA, and HUD to ensure that federal disaster recovery resources reach all impacted households, including those with the lowest incomes who are often the hardest-hit by disasters and have the fewest resources to recover afterwards.

    Legislative Priorities

    The DHRC urges Congress to enact:

    • The “Reforming Disaster Recovery Act” to help ensure that long-term recovery funding reaches the lowest-income and most marginalized disaster survivors when they need it most.
    • The “Federal Disaster Housing Stability Act” to help ensure that we protect the rights of tenants and prevent evictions in the aftermath of disasters.
    • The “Disaster Survivor Simplification Act” to help ensure that the disaster assistance process is simple and accessible to disaster survivors.

    Learn more about:

    Administrative Priorities

    The DHRC urges FEMA and HUD to:

    • Remove unjust and inequitable barriers to FEMA disaster assistance that prevent those most in need from receiving assistance after disasters.
    • Activate the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP) to ensure that those most in need of assistance can access appropriate housing after disasters.
    • Promote better disaster recovery practices within FEMA and HUD that respect the need for all disaster survivors to have affordable, accessible, homes in communities of their choice.

    Learn more about:

    For more information on NLIHC’s work in disaster recovery, research, and resiliency, please contact Noah Patton, Manager of Disaster Housing Recovery ([email protected]) and Meghan Mertyris, Disaster Housing Recovery Analyst ([email protected]).

  • DHRC Advocacy Materials

    DHRC Advocacy Materials

    The Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) regularly releases fact sheets, reports, and other advocacy materials to inform its members, disaster-impacted communities, and policymakers about the latest developments in disaster housing research, advocacy, and policy.

    Below you can find the latest publications related to our continued advocacy for disaster recovery reform and our work to ensure that all disaster survivors receive the assistance they need to fully recover.

    Overview of Disaster Response and Recovery

    Disaster Housing Needs for People Experiencing Homelessness

    Addressing Immediate Housing Needs After a Disaster

    Addressing Long-Term Disaster Housing Recovery

    Recovery In Disaster-Impacted Communities

    COVID-19 Pandemic Materials

    Webinars

    FEMA Interim Final Rule on Individual Assistance Equity

    Click here to view recordings for other webinars hosted by the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition.

    For more information on NLIHC’s work in disaster recovery, research, and resiliency, please contact Noah Patton, Manager of Disaster Housing Recovery ([email protected]) and Meghan Mertyris, Disaster Housing Recovery Analyst ([email protected]).