FEMA Housing Assistance Receipt Among Mobile Homeowners After Hurricane Florence

Mobile homes make up a significant portion of the United States' affordable housing stock, and mobile home residents are highly vulnerable to natural hazards like hurricanes. FEMA provides the main source of emergency housing after disasters, assistance that is critical for disaster-affected mobile home residents. This study uses publicly available FEMA data on applications for housing assistance after Hurricane Florence in North Carolina to explore whether rates of assistance receipt among mobile homeowners differ from other homeowners. Regression results indicate that mobile homeowners are more likely than other homeowners to access the first step of the assistance process (a home inspection), but less likely to be approved for assistance after inspection, controlling for other factors that may influence eligibility. These results suggest that mobile homeowners face greater barriers to housing assistance receipt than other homeowners, findings that should inform policy change to improve access to emergency housing in future disasters.