ALICE Disaster Assistance Tracker
ALICE Disaster Assistance Tracker
Exploring Federal Disaster Relief by ALICE Income Status
When households aren't making enough to cover their basic needs, saving for a rainy day can be difficult or impossible. And with little few or no savings or assets, financially insecure households are more likely to face ongoing hardships — from food insufficiency to a broken-down car. These ongoing challenges, in turn, make these households especially vulnerable to the effects of broader crises, like natural disasters. Since the most affordable housing tends to be in worse repair and located in areas more prone to storm damage, financially insecure households are both more likely to experience the negative impacts of natural disasters and have fewer resources to recover from them.
United For ALICE works to identify and bring attention to households in financial hardship by calculating the cost of basics in every U.S. county and comparing costs to household income to determine if household income is:
- Below the Federal Poverty Level (Poverty)
- Above the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the cost of basics by location and household type (ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed)
- Higher than the cost of basics (Above ALICE Threshold)
Households below the ALICE Threshold include households in poverty and ALICE households combined.
The ALICE Disaster Assistance Tracker, developed in partnership with Louisiana crisis support provider, VIALink, integrates ALICE financial hardship data with data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Individuals and Households Program (IHP). In the wake of a natural disaster, the IHP provides funds and direct services to those with uninsured or underinsured disaster-caused expenses and serious needs. According to FEMA, "IHP is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster; it is intended to meet the survivor's basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts."
This Tracker helps stakeholders and communities better understand where disasters have hit and how assistance is distributed over time and across income groups. IHP data in the Tracker includes applications and approval/denial records related to four categories of individual assistance: Rental, Home Repair, Personal Property, and Other Needs. The data in this tool are from federally declared disasters and do not include damage solely from flooding, which is covered by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
What can users do with this Tool?
- Map the path and impact of disasters across the U.S., explore several states or counties, or zoom into a specific state or county
- Explore data about FEMA's Individuals and Households Program, including applications approved or denied, top reasons for denial, and average payment and total assistance provided
- Filter data by time period (going back to 2010), a specific disaster, your state and county, renter/owner householders, and ALICE income status
What is unique about this Tool?
- It compiles millions of FEMA records — and incorporates weekly updates — in an accessible format not publicly available elsewhere
- It focuses specifically on households that are unable to afford the basics based on income and local cost of living
- It offers actionable data to monitor assistance distribution and address gaps across states and local communities
Who is this Tool for?
- Emergency response, emergency management, and disaster relief organizations
- United Ways, 211 organizations, and other nonprofit organizations
- Businesses that serve customers and provide support in disasters
- Researchers, funders, and policymakers
Disaster Assistance by Location
After a natural disaster hits, households are left to assess and document the damage. Following a federally declared disaster, households that need to move or that have home damage or other serious needs not covered by insurance or other assistance can apply to FEMA's IHP. Mapping where IHP applications come in and the amount of assistance paid can provide key insights into the path of storms and the relative impact on individual property.
The dashboard below maps IHP assistance for declared FEMA disasters since 2010, and shows:
- Total IHP assistance paid
- IHP assistance paid per 1,000 residents
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Data by county or ZIP code:
- Total households
- Percent of households below the ALICE Threshold
- Number of applicants
- Total IHP dollars approved
- Average cost of rent
The national map defaults to showing data across all available years (2010-present) and locations. Use the filters below to narrow the data by year, disaster name, location, whether the applicant was a homeowner or renter, or whether the applicant was in a household below or above the ALICE Threshold. (Hint: Toggle the "ALICE Threshold Status" filter to see assistance paid per 1,000 households below the Threshold.)
The maximum amount of assistance available from the IHP is updated annually based on the Consumer Price Index. Applicants can file for IHP assistance up to 18 months after a federally declared disaster, with limited opportunity for extension. FEMA assistance is not taxable and is not counted as part of an individual's income when applying for other public benefits.
Disaster Assistance by Claim Status: Approvals and Denials
After a FEMA IHP claim is submitted, FEMA schedules inspections to verify damage (if needed) and provides a decision letter, usually within 30 days. If denied assistance, applicants have 60 days to submit an appeal. The dashboard below presents data on the final decisions related to each claim and includes:
- Claim approval status (Approved/Denied) for all applicants and by applicant's ALICE household income status (above or below the ALICE Threshold)
- Total applicants, application approval rate, total IHP payments, and average payment amount by income status
- Most common reasons for denial and the number of applicants denied for those reasons
This dashboard defaults to showing data across all available years (2010-present) and locations. Use the filters below to narrow down the data by year, disaster name, location, or whether the applicant was a homeowner or renter.
Disaster Assistance by Type
FEMA IHP assistance is available to both renters and homeowners and can cover costs related to displacement, repair, and short-term recovery. The dashboard below looks at the four types of IHP assistance, including:
- Rental Assistance (RA): Money to rent alternate housing accommodations while an applicant is displaced from their disaster-damaged primary residence
- Home Repair Assistance (HRA): Money to help repair or replace an owner-occupied, disaster-damaged primary residence so the home is safe to live in. For example, this may include addressing mold caused by the disaster, money to repair or replace damaged wells or septic systems, or money for mitigation measures.
- Personal Property Assistance (PPA): Money to help repair or replace appliances, room furnishings, or a personal or family computer damaged by the disaster. Books, uniforms, tools, additional computers and other items required for school or work may also be eligible.
- Other Needs Assistance (ONA): Money to cover other expenses (not including personal property), such as funds to cover immediate needs (like water, food, first aid); repair a damaged vehicle; to cover medical expenses for an injury or illness caused by the disaster; to help pay for new or increased disaster-related child care expenses; or to clean and sanitize damaged areas of the residence.
For each of these types of assistance, the dashboard shows the number of applicants and the average assistance paid by ALICE income status. It also shows average total rental assistance compared to monthly Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment to show how minimal this assistance often is, generally covering only a few months of rent when disaster recovery often takes longer. For households below the ALICE Threshold, a rent shortfall can lead to serious long-term consequences such as housing instability, displacement, or eviction.
This dashboard defaults to showing data across all available years (2010-present) and locations. Use the filters below to narrow the data down by year, disaster name, location, or whether the applicant was a homeowner or renter.
Disaster Assistance Over Time
Finally, with disaster assistance data since 2010, this dashboard can provide insights into trends and differences over time, including:
- Total FEMA IHP assistance received by households below and above the ALICE Threshold in each state
- The annual application approval rate for each income group (percent of applications approved)
This dashboard defaults to showing data across all available years (2010-present) and locations. Use the filters below to narrow the data down by state or whether the applicant was a homeowner or renter.
Data Sources and Notes
- FEMA Individuals and Households Program (IHP) Data
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United for ALICE Data
- The cost of basics is calculated in the ALICE Household Survival Budget, which includes annual county-level cost estimates for housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, technology, and taxes. These costs are adjusted based on the number and age of household members. Full data sources and methodology are available at UnitedForALICE.org/Methodology. To calculate Survival Budgets for years beyond current United For ALICE estimates, the previous year's budgets are increased by the inflation rate for basic costs, as reported by the ALICE Essentials Index.
- To determine ALICE Threshold status, each IHP applicant is assigned a Household Survival Budget total based on their ZIP code and household type. This budget is compared to household income (mid-point of the income band reported by FEMA). Households with income below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) are considered in poverty, those with income above the FPL but below their assigned Survival Budget are ALICE, and those with income above their Survival Budget are above the ALICE Threshold. Households below the ALICE Threshold include households in poverty and ALICE households combined.
FAQs
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Why do some people with insurance still get FEMA IHP assistance? Why are some people denied assistance because they have insurance?
People with insurance may receive FEMA IHP assistance when their insurance coverage is insufficient to cover necessary, disaster-related expenses. FEMA acts to bridge gaps, such as when insurance payouts are delayed, when payouts are lower than the damage cost, or if the policy has exclusions for specific types of damage. Top reasons people with insurance receive this assistance include damage that exceeds insurance policy limits, deductibles that are higher than damage costs, or disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance, such as medical/dental costs, personal property, or vehicle repair. Federal law prohibits "duplication of benefits," so any damages covered by insurance cannot also be covered by FEMA assistance.
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How quickly after a disaster does FEMA publish IHP application data?
FEMA typically publishes Individuals and Households Program (IHP) application data to the OpenFEMA dataset for disasters that were declared over 30 days ago. While the full dataset is updated annually, the data regarding recent disasters (within the last 18 months) is refreshed on a weekly basis. It is important to note that this dataset is for non-sensitive, anonymized, validated applications and does not provide real-time, day-of-disaster tracking for the general public.
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Why does this Tracker not include flood data?
Flood assistance is not included in the ALICE Disaster Assistance Tracker for two reasons:
- Assistance for flood damage is not administered through FEMA's IHP (as is all of the other assistance data included in this Tracker). Per the federal government, flooding is considered a predictable, manageable risk rather than an entirely unforeseen event. Instead of being funded through automatic taxpayer-funded grants (like FEMA's IHP), flood damage is managed through specialized insurance administered by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
- Data available through the NFIP does not include the variables needed to calculate the ALICE Threshold status of applicants.