by Kenza Idissi Janati
The U.S. is facing a dual crisis: a severe shortage of affordable housing and increased exposure to disasters driven by climate change. With a deficit of 7.1 million affordable and available rental homes for the lowest-income renters, nearly three-quarters of extremely low-income households – those earning below the federal poverty guideline or less than 30% of the area median income – are severely cost-burdened, spending more than half their income on rent. On average, only 35 such homes exist for every 100 extremely low-income renter households. Federally assisted housing, which comprises roughly 10% of the nation’s rental stock, is a limited but essential resource, offering a degree of housing stability to those most at risk. However, this stock is increasingly threatened by the intensifying frequency and severity of hazards such as hurricanes, wildfires, and floods exacerbated by climate change.
Renters living in federally assisted properties, who are disproportionately people of color, seniors, and people with disabilities, face compounded vulnerabilities. These communities are often located in high-risk areas due to historic discriminatory housing policies and chronic underinvestment. The rental housing stock itself – particularly older, lower-cost, and multifamily buildings – is more susceptible to damage and slower to recover than owner-occupied housing. Owners of these properties frequently lack the resources to meet newer mitigation standards and, unlike homeowners, are often restricted in their ability to raise rents or access sufficient recovery funds. In many cases, this leads to a net loss of affordable housing post-disaster.
Federal disaster recovery efforts have long prioritized homeowners over renters, resulting in a lopsided allocation of resources. For example, after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, 62% of damaged homeowner units received assistance compared to just 18% of damaged rental units. Similarly, renters received disproportionately less aid than homeowners following Hurricane Harvey. Rental properties are less likely to benefit from programs such as Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery, despite being more vulnerable and housing many of the country’s lowest-income residents. This inequity extends beyond funding: subsidized renters are often the least likely to return to their homes after a disaster and are routinely excluded from local recovery planning. In Galveston, Texas, for instance, displaced public housing residents were largely absent from the recovery process after Hurricane Ike, allowing opposition groups to block the rebuilding of affordable units.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC), a network of more than 900 organizations, underscores the systemic failures of the current disaster housing recovery framework. This system consistently leaves the lowest-income survivors – including people with disabilities, seniors, immigrants with limited English proficiency, and people experiencing homelessness – without the resources they need to recover. The DHRC advocates for a set of core principles rooted in equity, accountability, and community participation. These include equitable access to safe temporary housing, transparent and timely assistance, and full integration of low-income renters and unhoused individuals into long-term recovery planning and rebuilding efforts.
As disasters become more frequent and more intense, equitable investment in resilience and mitigation is not only urgent but cost-effective. Research shows that every dollar spent on mitigation saves six in future recovery costs. Yet, all too often, mitigation funding is funneled into higher-income, lower-risk neighborhoods while the communities most affected by past disasters continue to be ignored. To break this cycle, policymakers must direct mitigation resources toward historically marginalized neighborhoods that have long borne the brunt of environmental risk. Elevating these communities to a basic standard of safety and infrastructure is essential – not only to reduce harm but also to protect the future of affordable housing itself. Integrating affordable housing preservation and expansion into climate mitigation planning is vital to ensure that the most vulnerable renters are not left behind yet again when disaster strikes.