Insufficient Federal Funding and Technical Assistance Limit Some Public Housing Authorities’ Implementation of Disaster Risk Management Strategies

By Esther Colón-Bermúdez, NLIHC Research Analyst 

An article recently published by the journal PLOS Climate, “Exploring implementation of disaster risk management strategies by public housing authorities: A national survey,” examines how the uptake of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery strategies—collectively referred to as disaster risk management (DRM) strategies—varies across U.S. Public Housing Authorities (PHAs). The study, based on a national survey, finds that most PHAs have established plans and partnerships to respond to disasters, but lack sufficient dedicated funding or staff capacity for disaster management. Further, the DRM strategies implemented vary by PHA size, flexibility in funding, urban status, perceived hazard risk, and the political affiliation of their state’s governor. The authors emphasize that without greater financing and technical assistance from HUD, PHAs will struggle to protect low-income renters from the growing risks of climate change.   

Renters in federally subsidized housing are more likely to be of lower socioeconomic status, non-white, have a disability, be of older age, and to reside in lower quality housing. These intersectional risks leave them especially vulnerable to experiencing negative impacts after disasters, which can be further exacerbated by the challenges renters often face in obtaining post-disaster assistance. Furthermore, the location of federally subsidized units can put these renters at greater risk. A 2023 report by NLIHC found that 24% of federally subsidized units are located in census tracts with the highest risk of adverse impacts from disasters, and in eight states, more than half of all federally subsidized units fall within high-risk areas. PHAs have a critical role in managing federally subsidized housing, but little is known about their DRM strategies, particularly in the context of growing challenges tied to both a decline in federal funding and support as well as more frequent and intense disasters.  

This study examines how the DRM strategies implemented by PHAs vary by organizational and community characteristics like PHA size and Moving to Work (MTW) status, urban classification, political affiliation of state governors, and perceived hazard risk. A survey was distributed by email to 3,362 PHA executive directors in October 2023, with five reminders sent before the survey closed in November 2023. The survey asked about six DRM strategies: having dedicated DRM funding, disaster plans in place, adequate staff or technical capacity, adequate financial resources, a DRM-specific role or department, and partnerships in place to support DRM. Publicly available secondary data were also used to supplement the survey responses. Ultimately, 559 PHAs responded from every state except Hawai’i, giving a 16.6% response rate. Of these PHAs, nearly half represent medium-sized agencies and more than half represent PHAs in metropolitan areas. Over half of these respondents reported perceived hazard risk at their PHAs.  

The authors found that the most commonly implemented DRM strategies were having disaster plans (88% of respondents) and partnerships in place to support DRM (66%). Disaster plans were more common among metropolitan PHAs (63%) and those with perceived hazard risk (66%). Adequate staff capacity and financial resources were found to be major gaps for PHAs, with 68% reporting inadequate staff or technical capacity, and only 37% reporting adequate financial resources. Among PHAs with perceived hazard risk, about one third reported that they have adequate financial resources. The least common strategies currently in use by PHAs were having dedicated funding for DRM (18%) and having a DRM-specific department or role (31%). Dedicated funding was significantly associated with larger PHA size and MTW status, while having a DRM role or department was significantly associated with all PHA characteristics except political affiliation. 

Overall, larger and MTW PHAs are more likely to implement DRM strategies, suggesting that resources and funding flexibility matter. However, the flexibility in funding of MTW PHAs can come with important trade-offs that might outweigh the benefits for disaster readiness, such as providing fewer Housing Choice Vouchers, having fewer funds for critical capital repairs, and potentially imposing work requirements and higher rents on tenants. Currently, HUD does not require PHAs to implement DRM strategies and the resources available for DRM from HUD are lacking. Without stronger mandates and funding, PHAs remain underprepared to protect renters from climate change and disasters. HUD should prioritize providing DRM-focused technical assistance and staff training to PHAs, while Congress must allocate dedicated financial resources to HUD for PHAs to strengthen preparedness, response, and recovery. 

Read the report here.