Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund Needs Assessment: Phase I

The following document represents the first phase of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research’s needs assessment work on behalf of the Greater Houston Community Foundation and the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. This fund was jointly created by Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to accept private donations to aid in hurricane relief and recovery.

This document includes an analysis of 211, 311, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance (IA) data. These three datasets begin the process of identifying key needs post-Harvey and areas that were hardest hit. This analysis is the first step in what will be a much deeper damage assessment intended for phase two.

Also contained here is a relief and recovery funding primer and discussion of post-storm vulnerable populations rounds out this document. These pieces intend to inform the Advisory Board of what needs federal, state, and local funding have provided and will provide going forward. Knowing this should allow for more direct decision-making about the most effective use of philanthropic funds. The vulnerable populations section discusses some of the challenges certain populations face in trying to access relief and recovery resources.