Roadblocks to Housing after Disaster: Homeless Veterans’ Experiences after Hurricane Sandy

Abstract

Individuals who are homeless are disproportionately likely to experience negative outcomes during disasters. Setbacks to their efforts to access needed services, such as transitional housing and case management to help them find stable permanent housing, are a common occurrence. This article explores the experiences of nine US military veterans who were homeless during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and their efforts to find permanent housing in the 3 years following the storm. It focuses on the sources of support that these veterans turned to during and after Sandy. Housing status before the storm played a significant role in shaping their experiences and outcomes. Both veterans living in US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) transitional housing transitioned successfully into permanent housing. One of the veterans living in the community also successfully transitioned into permanent housing with the help of a strong social support network of family, VA case managers, and VA benefits. The six remaining veterans faced significant challenges and did not successfully transition into permanent stable housing by 2015. These findings suggest the importance of both institutional and informal social support for mitigating the effects of disasters on homeless veterans.