Addressing low-income household sheltering needs after a disaster: a needs assessment among Hurricane Harvey housing victims

Existing literature suggests many victims of housing loss due to disaster need emergency shelter, and low-income individuals are at risk of becoming chronically homeless without assistance in the transition to conventional housing. In response, FEMA provides Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) to victims of housing loss. However, the extent to which sheltering needs are met by TSA has not been investigated, especially among low-income households. Analyzing FEMA’s administrative data including all damaged housing units in Harris and Galveston counties (N = 283,085), we found that low-income victims of housing loss not only had greater sheltering needs but also were less likely to access TSA than their counterparts not of low-income status. When both groups were in need of shelter, the chance of obtaining TSA for low-income victims of housing loss was much lower than that for their counterparts. Our study highlights the critical sheltering needs of low-income households in a natural disaster, and advocates for a broader and more equitable distribution of TSA.