As the Southeast recovers from the aftermath of a catastrophic Class 4 storm, regional leaders are scrambling to mobilize resources and provide assistance to countless individuals affected by the disaster. Amongst the catastrophic devastation and pandemonium, as death tolls rise and the struggle for survival intensifies across six states, a crucial demographic is at risk of being overlooked: the already vulnerable homeless population, who were struggling to make ends meet before the storm struck.
Despite longstanding efforts to mitigate the impact of natural disasters on previously homeless individuals, a glaring omission persists: catastrophe reduction assistance remains unavailable for those who were without a home prior to a hurricane’s devastation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), primarily responsible for providing aid, perpetuates this disparity by excluding unhoused individuals from most forms of support, including housing and direct assistance. Recently, the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has taken steps to address some of the gaps in social security, albeit through a lengthy process requiring Congressional approval.
As primary hurricane threats intensify, so too do concerns about the growing population of unhoused individuals. In June, the United States Supreme Court, in a landmark decision, ruled that Allowing native governments to impose restrictions on unhoused individuals’ movements even when no suitable housing or shelter options are available in the city.
As cities expand their reach, additional jurisdictions have enacted laws criminalizing homelessness, part of a nationwide push to curb the growing phenomenon of people sleeping on streets and sidewalks. Recently, a law taking effect in Florida banned individuals from sleeping on public property throughout the entire state. During emergencies such as major hurricanes, existing protections cease to apply once the storm-related declaration expires.
Because of this, Republican Governor Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, and a county official lift the state’s emergency hurricane order, leaving Floridians who were displaced prior to Hurricane Helene facing potential felony charges if they fail to secure shelter by the deadline. Native homelessness advocates express concerns over the ambiguity surrounding the implementation and enforcement of new legislation following natural disasters like Hurricane Helene, which devastated Florida’s Big Bend region.
According to Martha Are, chief director of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, many individuals experiencing homelessness were aware that the new anti-camping legislation was about to take effect. As we spoke in mid-September, just weeks before Hurricane Helene was set to strike Florida, she cautioned that some individuals were already trying to move their makeshift settlements to more secluded locations.
Leaders like Are have scant attention for anything other than anticipating developments, and they’re privately informed that most authorities are holding back, waiting to see which city will be the first to face legal action and what implications it will have when a court ultimately rules on the matter. Starting in January, under Florida’s newly enacted legislation, citizens and businesses alike will have the right to take legal action if they believe the anti-camping ban is not being effectively implemented.
Will implementing anti-camping laws without consideration for individual circumstances, like those displaced by natural disasters, not create problems? For instance, if I’ve lost my home in a hurricane and I’ve lived in that city for a decade, am I in violation of the law just because I’m temporarily homeless, and will authorities arrest me? “These regulatory frameworks raise significant hurdles, making assistance more challenging to procure, and as I’ve consistently emphasized, they diminish a community’s capacity for resilience in the face of disasters.”
When hurricanes strike, relocating homeless people to shelters poses significant logistical challenges—and stricter anti-camping laws further complicate this effort.
As a category 5 hurricane bears down on the city, it’s a chaotic and disquieting endeavor to locate and assist homeless individuals in advance of the impending disaster. According to Kelly Younger, CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston and Harris County, many individuals possess cell phones but lack access to vital information, failing to receive crucial text messages.
Occasionally, homeless outreach teams endeavour to create space by accommodating more individuals, with existing shelters making efforts to free up areas such as kitchens and hallways for temporary occupancy. Housing-insecure individuals often seek temporary refuge in conference centers, public universities, or the newly established American Red Cross emergency shelters. While some governments and nonprofits provide transportation assistance for unhoused individuals to gain access to indoor facilities, others leave it up to the individual to chart their own course.
We hosted over 13,000 attendees at George R. According to Larry Satterwhite, leader of the Houston Mayor’s Office of Public Security and Homeland Security, there was no discernible distinction drawn between homeless individuals and those who had merely misplaced their belongings and sought a temporary place to settle.
While not all individuals experiencing homelessness will have access to the data they desire, neither will every resident outside, notes Eric Camarillo, chief executive of SALT Outreach, which collaborates with unaccommodated homeless persons in Orlando and central Florida. While some people worry about losing personal items, others may have had harrowing past experiences at shelters that have left lasting emotional scars.
“The stigma surrounding homelessness should be challenged, as its face has evolved significantly over the past 50 years.” “Those struggling to make ends meet include single mothers unable to afford daycare, seniors in their 70s and 80s living on fixed incomes that cannot withstand increased rent prices, as well as youth and younger adults.”
New anti-camping laws have further complicated the already chaotic disaster response situation, with many homeless people forced to adopt stealthy tactics to avoid arrest and imprisonment while living on the streets. Punitive legal measures are likely to further erode the already fragile relationship between local authorities and the homeless population, making it increasingly difficult for those in need to accept assistance when caught.
According to Eric Samuels, president of the Texas Homeless Community, he believes that these legal guidelines are designed to dissuade individuals from seeking assistance and to keep them invisible, thereby making his organization’s work even more challenging. In 2021, Texas repealed its statewide towing ban. “If someone is seriously injured and is often far from public view because they don’t want to receive a ticket, emergency responders may struggle to reach them in time.”
Individuals who are already struggling with homelessness face a precarious and uncertain future.
FEMA plays a critical role in reducing the impact of catastrophes by taking the lead in providing disaster relief and working closely with state and local authorities, as well as Native American communities, to manage emergency shelters, alongside organizations like the American Red Cross. FEMA prohibits housing assistance from being distributed to individuals who were already homeless prior to the disaster, citing that the necessity for housing is not directly attributed to the catastrophic event. While these individuals may still be eligible for temporary aid in areas such as transportation, funeral services, childcare, and medical support.
FEMA’s disaster assistance program permits occupants who resided in non-traditional dwellings prior to the catastrophe – encompassing structures such as tents, specialized huts, and lean-to constructions – to utilize temporary rental assistance for several months. Despite these challenges, applicants seeking FEMA assistance must first secure documentation of their pre-disaster situation from a reliable or authorized source, rendering access to aid virtually impossible, as Patton notes.
“Individuals don’t apply,” he stated. “It’s a particularly arduous and logistically challenging process.”
Recently, in light of this, and following years of advocacy by housing organizations, the Department of Housing and Urban Development took a crucial step to establish the Rapid Unaccompanied Minor Shelter (RUSH) program, leveraging unallocated funds from previous initiatives. RUSH’s primary objective is to provide assistance to individuals who were previously homeless and are now affected by a storm or local weather disaster. In 2022, the organization primarily focused on granting aid.
Marion McFadden, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, noted that “we were delighted to have the flexibility to launch this system because we’ve seen that individuals who are doubled up or experiencing homelessness during the crisis typically don’t access FEMA funds or receive assistance from FEMA for an extended period.” “Through targeted funding initiatives, we’re effectively bridging resource gaps.”
Through the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, HUD offers a remarkably flexible and long-term disaster assistance approach that enables provision of extended rental aid and construction of affordable housing well beyond FEMA’s duration. Despite these limitations, the system should not be entirely reliant on periodic appropriations from Congress, which can be subject to delay and inadequacy. The Biden administration has called on Congress to fully authorize CDBG-DR, and a bipartisan bill is pending in Congress.
Currently, efforts in Congress aim to redirect long-term disaster recovery work through FEMA, a move that concerns low-income housing advocates who fear it may imperil the already vulnerable population of people experiencing homelessness prior to a hurricane.
“We’re concerned that the invoice, as written, may facilitate the misuse of scarce federal restoration funds, thereby preventing critical long-term restoration assistance from reaching vulnerable low-income disaster survivors.”
According to McFadden of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a specific role exists for her organization to take in assisting communities following natural disasters, thereby facilitating their recovery and revitalization. “We’re generating tens of billions annually through grant funding and have a deep understanding of the unique needs of low-income individuals and low-income housing,” she told Vox.
When I sought clarification from FEMA regarding its contingency plans for supporting individuals without fixed addresses in the event of a disaster, should Congress grant them expanded authorities, the agency remained evasive about its intentions to reassess its approach to providing aid to the homeless prior to such an emergency.
“When Congress passes and the President signs a bill conferring additional or novel authority on FEMA, the agency will subsequently develop guidance necessary to effectively implement the new authority,” a company representative said. “FEMA would facilitate community recovery by providing support for restoring areas affected by disasters, ensuring that its efforts align with congressional intent and newly authorized authorities.”
As extreme weather events intensify across the US, communities nationwide confront an escalating array of hazards, ranging from devastating hurricanes to scorching heatwaves, catastrophic floods, and destructive wildfires. During the past year, advocates have urged FEMA to revise its disaster response standards to address the critical need for incorporating warmth and smoke considerations, highlighting the imperative for more versatile approaches to tackling these pressing issues. As the nation’s affordable housing shortage exacerbates the plight of both those newly displaced and long-struggling with homelessness, the urgency to address the interconnected crises of climate resilience and housing stability has never been more pressing?