Insights into temporary and emergency accommodation

With guidance from the Social Recovery Reference Group (SRRG), this research project will capture learnings and improve temporary housing supports for people impacted by a disaster to move into stable housing. This project will extend the knowledge beyond the Charlesworth and Fien (2024) Post Disaster Temporary Housing An Applied Literature Review commissioned by the SRRG. Research products will provide evidence to build more resilient communities and drive change through evidence-informed policy, strategy and application of learnings from disasters to inform future practice.

This project intends to provide the opportunity to hear the real-life experiences of recovery practitioners and community members in different states and territories of Australia. Using case studies, this research will capture different approaches taken to support and transition disaster-impacted people into stable housing. The project will deliver resources for practitioners and create journey maps for community members. This research will use lived experiences of major disasters to assist in the management of post-disaster housing – from immediate shelter through to long-term stable solutions.

There are three main components to the research:

• Case studies involving research focusing on six Australian states and territories in five different contexts to learn from disaster responses that provided temporary and emergency accommodation. Case studies will capture different approaches taken in various contexts and typologies, including working with First Nations peoples. Case studies are likely to be interstate covering both remote, rural and urban areas with different scenarios such as caravans, relocations, fixed dwellings, and different social contexts, e.g. disability, domestic, violence, gender and age-related needs.

• Resource development for practitioners to support cross-sectoral planning for post-disaster temporary housing and the necessary associated supports and services.
   
• Development of generic journey maps for community members to assist in understanding the process to access and supports available to move into stable housing.