As a group, renters experience a broader range of housing problems than do owners, and disasters worsen these problems. Yet to date, housing tenure has been relatively understudied compared to other vulnerability characteristics. This review addresses the differences in housing needs faced by renters and owners during and after a disaster. It examines variation between renters and owners, recent studies of a disaster’s impacts on each group by disaster phase, and disaster-related housing policies and programs. This research explores significant questions related to the housing needs of renters in times of disaster, yielding important insights for policy makers and local planners.

Researchers have extensively studied disaster sheltering and housing; however, little research has empirically examined longitudinal patterns of how shelter and housing needs change during and after disasters. This study investigated types and timing of unmet shelter and housing needs during sequential hurricane disasters in Texas using Texas 2-1-1 Network’s real-time data of callers’ unmet needs throughout Texas’ 254 counties, including disaster areas as well as evacuation routes and destinations. Texas 2-1-1 has been used by disaster managers and communities state-wide for information and referral for non-emergency needs. The 5-month study period includes a baseline before Hurricane Katrina, evacuation and impact during each disaster, and short-term recovery afterward. Before and following these hurricanes, the most common types of unmet housing needs stemmed from financial issues related to rental housing. During disaster emergency phases, shelter-related needs were most common. Unmet needs related to homeowners were least frequent throughout the disaster phases. Unmet shelter needs had patterns differing by disaster phase compared to more subtle differences over time in renter and homeowner needs. This unique study provides practical information about vulnerable populations’ access barriers relating to housing needs and supports the theoretical model of disaster-related sheltering and housing using real-time data.

This study proposes a method to handle missing data when merging large tertiary datasets. Combining 25 datasets of 2-1-1 Texas Information & Referral Network’s call records to analyze unmet needs during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita highlighted a considerable bias problem due to missing data of a key variable in some of the 25 datasets. First, extensive literature about existing techniques for handling missing data was reviewed but determined not applicable for this type of missing data problem. Next, a systematic algorithm was developed to calculate missing data types and strategies in tertiary datasets. Last, this method was applied to the 2-1-1 datasets to test its effectiveness on bias due to previous missing data. Using this approach, the volume of cases available for analysis was increased approximately 30 percent, hence greatly improving validity of the findings. In terms of social service research, minimizing bias of missing data in existing tertiary data resources would help policymakers make more appropriate decisions and provide more effective and timely social support and disaster services to residents. This new method could be applied to using tertiary data with a similar dilemma and contribute to increasing potential use of available public datasets.

Previous research demonstrates that housing security and quality influence physical and mental health. Despite a rich literature on housing and health, less is known about the processes through which housing mobility programs directly affect family health. We use a single-case design to examine how the health of families with children is impacted by Families Flourish, a mobility program that combines three years of rental assistance with life coaching and placement in safe, well-resourced neighborhoods. Drawing on developmental and formative evaluation data, including longitudinally collected surveys, interviews, and administrative records, we trace families’ experiences over time. Our analysis identifies distinct pathways through which mobility improves mental and physical health—via improved indoor air quality, reduced environmental and parental stress, and enhanced access to resources. Initial health gains are subsequently leveraged to improve educational and economic outcomes. We observe a temporal sequence in outcomes, with early physical health gains and later mental health improvements as stability and safety increase. We conclude by situating these identified pathways within existing scholarship and discussing implications for planning and fair housing practice.

This paper aims to demonstrate how evaluation methods can inform the development of a program, using the example of a novel housing mobility program. The limited availability of Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) and other affordable housing assistance restricts the ability to address US national housing needs; millions more households qualify for HCVs than receive them. Those with HCVs encounter challenges in using vouchers in so-called high-opportunity areas. To address the dearth of HCVs and difficulty using them, a collaboration between faculty at Ohio State University and the community developed a new housing mobility program to increase the affordable housing supply, engaging stakeholders to understand the needs of low-income renters who are less likely to obtain an HCV. This paper outlines the Families Flourish program’s development using both developmental and formative evaluations, examining the progress of the implementation and immediate outcomes using mixed methods. The developmental evaluation process required collaboration with a wide variety of stakeholders, partners, and the project team. According to the formative evaluation of the pilot program, participants’ experiences suggested that enhanced housing security was associated with improvements in physical and mental health for parents and their children, and that a more stable and safe neighborhood environment was similarly associated with gains in employment, education, and income. Throughout the process of evaluation, particularly the developmental evaluation, the evaluator’s communication and collaboration skills were essential to the methodology. The study concludes with lessons learned, as well as recommendations for policy and directions for future research.