As part of its ongoing Disaster Housing Recovery, Research, and Resilience (DHR) initiative, NLIHC hosted a group of over 40 researchers and community-based organizations to participate in an in-person convening of the Disaster Housing Recovery Research Consortium. The Consortium, which has convened periodically for the past seven years, works to increase access to disaster assistance data to better understand and improve disaster response and recovery, facilitate connections between disaster-impacted communities and the research community, and share research ideas and best practices to improve the quality of disaster recovery-related research.
Attendees hailed from every region of the country, from Puerto Rico to Hawaii. Attendees heard from disaster recovery and advocacy specialists at NLIHC who covered the latest in the country’s disaster recovery systems and reform efforts. A representative from the National Science Foundation discussed grants available from that organization, and attendees shared the latest research and advocacy developments from their own areas of the country.
In a segment new to consortium meetings, NLIHC staff helped organize visits to Capitol Hill, helping participants schedule meetings with their representatives and senators to inform them of the state of disaster response and recovery and reiterate the importance of disaster recovery research. Participants held over 20 meetings with congressional offices, which helped clarify what these offices were hearing about disaster response and recovery capabilities on the ground.
NLIHC thanks Consortium participants and looks forward to hosting again in the fall.