The NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Research Consortium convened in Washington, DC on March 2-3 and met with congressional offices and officials from HUD about data and research priorities for equitable disaster housing recovery. They also engaged in a day-long series of discussions about current research projects and future needs and opportunities.
The group consists of researchers and practitioners from academic, research, and non-profit housing organizations engaged in housing recovery after disasters. The Consortium’s goals include improving access to quality data on disaster recovery, identifying a research agenda on which to build collaborations, and developing a stronger network of researchers interested in housing, recovery, and resilience. The Consortium includes members from NLIHC, Texas A & M, Texas Housers, The Data Center, University of Florida, Florida Housing Coalition, Fair Share Housing Center, University of Kansas, University of Illinois, University of Central Florida, Enterprise Community Partners, and University of Colorado Denver, among others.
The group met with officials from HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research to discuss the department’s disaster-related research and with staff of the congressional committees that oversee FEMA – the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure - to encourage legislative solutions to the lack of data transparency at FEMA. Both researchers and advocates have struggled to obtain consistent, quality data on disaster recovery to help them track equitable recovery and understand best practices.
The Research Consortium members met for a day among themselves to exchange information of shared interest and concern and to discuss the efforts of a sub-Consortium working group formed to create a community-focused data portal to address the lack of local, regional, and national data for local recovery and resilience. The working group is exploring the creation of a pilot data portal focusing on the Florida panhandle, a region hit hard by Hurricane Michael and at high risk for future disasters. Another Consortium sub-group is looking into applying for a grant to the National Science Foundation to create a Research Coordinating Network to study the intersections of housing for vulnerable populations and disaster recovery.