Course Overview:

This course will provide participants with an overview of disaster housing recovery, by reviewing short term and long term disaster housing recovery programs.  These programs will include FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program and the Disaster Case Management Services program.  The course will also discuss best practices regarding building code and code enforcement, permitting processes, and utility restoration.  A review of Disaster Housing Task Forces will also be conducted. This online course will take learners approximately 90 minutes to complete.  Learners will be able to apply the concepts learned to their own localities or organizations after completion of the course. 

Scope:

This course will provide learners with an overview of the disaster housing recovery. As noted in the 2019 FEMA Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment/Stakeholder Preparedness Review, training on housing recovery in this regard is urgently needed. Among FEMA’s 25 target areas, states/territories most frequently reported the largest recovery gap in long-term housing. Specifically, there is a significant training need for pre-event planning and coordination among federal, state, and local partners to better support states, communities, and survivors in implementing long-term housing solutions. 

As addressed in FEMA’s Community Lifelines Toolkit, housing stabilization, and restoration can occur effectively when decision-makers rapidly determine the scope, complexity, and interdependent impacts of a disaster and then take appropriate action during the Shelter Phase (0-21 days), Transitional Shelter Phase (up to 60 days), Interim Housing Phase (Up to 18 months), and Permanent Housing Phase (18 months and beyond).

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this Awareness Level course, the student will be able to complete post-test questions based on the following learning objectives, with 80% accuracy or greater.

1. Identify code enforcement, permitting, and utility restoration best practices. 
2. Identify best practices for implementing the Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program. 
3. Identify best practices for Disaster Case Management. 
4. Identify best practices for establishing and sustaining an effective Disaster Housing Task Force.

This project is supported by Cooperative Agreements EMW-2020-CA-00064, EMW-2021-CA-00092, EMW-2021-CA-00093, EMW-2022-CA-00037, and EMW-2023-GG019446 administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Points of view or opinions expressed in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.