An article published in Housing Policy Debate, “Disaster Preparedness and Housing Tenure: How Do Subsidized Renters Fare?,” examines the differences in disaster preparedness among homeowners, unsubsidized renters, and subsidized renters. The authors find that, even when controlling for demographic and neighborhood characteristics, renters are significantly less prepared for disasters than homeowners, and subsidized renters are significantly less prepared than unsubsidized renters.
The research focused on two questions: (1) Do subsidized renters differ from unsubsidized renters and homeowners in their disaster preparedness?; and (2) Do differences in disaster preparedness persist after controlling for those characteristics that make subsidized renters more socially vulnerable to disasters? The researchers used data from the 2017 American Housing Survey (AHS) and divided responses into three groups: those of homeowners, unsubsidized renters, and subsidized renters. Subsidized renters included households that live in public housing, receive vouchers from the Housing Choice Voucher program, or live in a project-based, subsidized multifamily unit.
The researchers found that renters are significantly less prepared than homeowners when it comes to having non-perishable food, water, prepared emergency kits, evacuation funds of up to $2,000, evacuation vehicles, renter’s insurance, carbon monoxide detectors, and generators. Comparing unsubsidized renters and subsidized renters, subsidized renters were significantly less likely to have evacuation funds, an evacuation vehicle, a generator, and renter’s insurance. However, the research found that subsidized renters were significantly more likely than both unsubsidized renters and homeowners to have a disaster communication plan.
Prior research has found a relationship between disaster preparedness and factors, such as poverty, low education attainment, and poor conditions of units and neighborhoods, that make households socially vulnerable to disasters. The researchers found that renters are more likely than homeowners to be non-white, have less income, and have lower education levels. Subsidized renters are even more likely than unsubsidized renters to have these characteristics. The researchers also found that subsidized renters are more likely than unsubsidized renters and homeowners to live in older housing units and multifamily units. Even after controlling for these factors, the researchers found that subsidized renters were significantly less likely to be prepared for disasters compared to homeowners and unsubsidized renters in terms of having evacuation funds, an evacuation vehicle, a generator, and renter’s insurance. The researchers concluded that subsidized renters’ lower levels of disaster preparedness are not simply due to the characteristics that make them socially vulnerable but instead could be attributed to other factors, such as the location or management of subsidized units.
The authors conclude that policy measures should be taken to ensure subsidized renters are better prepared for disasters. The authors suggest the need for better federal oversight of PHA disaster preparedness policies and procedures, for example, through audits of PHA disaster management plans and the collection and publication of data related to how PHAs prepare residents for disasters. They also suggest that disaster preparedness for subsidized renters could be improved through dedicated funding and grants that would enable PHAs to implement federal guidance and could allow HUD to better track how PHAs are preparing residents.
Read the article at: bit.ly/44VVasG