Client: Los Angeles Housing Department
Beacon was engaged for a regional disaster planning project for housing in which we conducted primary research through interviews and surveys with organizations and secondary research through review of existing studies by local and national organizations and agencies (Red Cross, FEMA, National Housing Authorities) to develop an Interim Housing Options Plan for the 5 county region and identified potential venues for interim housing in the aftermath of a disaster comparable to the magnitude of Northridge earthquake.
Beacon reached out to over 300 private and public sector housing stakeholders in the 5 Counties of Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura, to assemble a Housing Working Group that provided insight through focus groups and web meetings organized by Beacon. We developed and administered an online survey to over 500 governmental agencies, community based organizations, private developers and businesses. From the survey findings, we conducted a gap analysis of the level of disaster housing preparedness and identified areas for improvement in an assessment report. We further conducted interviews with potential housing venues such as stadiums, arenas, school and college facilities, mobile home parks, recreational parks, hotels, and others to develop a Interim Housing Options report.
Outcome: Our research led to the development of a regional planning guide on disaster housing preparedness that is available to all the 88 cities in Los Angeles County and the Southern California region.
