ABSTRACT
Affordable housing* is an essential part of healthy and sustainable communities, creating health, education, and economic benefits to households (Mueller and Tighe 2007; Housing Colorado 2014). It is also a central issue in disaster recovery. When affordable housing is damaged or destroyed, communities must decide whether to
7.1 Introduction: Disasters, Affordable Housing, and Recovery ..........................99 7.2 Disaster Recovery and Affordable Housing ................................................. 100 7.3 The 2013 Colorado Floods............................................................................ 102 7.4 Methods ........................................................................................................ 102 7.5 Loss of Affordable Housing: Evans, Lyons, and Milliken ........................... 103
7.5.1 Evans, Colorado ................................................................................ 103 7.5.2 Lyons, Colorado ................................................................................ 104 7.5.3 Milliken, Colorado ........................................................................... 105
7.6 Affordable Housing and Recovery in Colorado: Key Insights ..................... 106 7.6.1 Affordable Housing as Pre-Existing Problem .................................. 106 7.6.2 Vulnerability of Lower Income Households ..................................... 106 7.6.3 Role of Local Government and Residents ........................................ 107 7.6.4 Other Actors and Specialized Agencies ........................................... 107
7.7 Conclusions: Lessons and Implications ........................................................ 108 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 108 References .............................................................................................................. 108
rebuild it, and if so, where and when. Such decisions shape the long-term character of the community, as well as the recovery of households who rely upon affordable housing. These households are often more exposed to hazards, and after a disaster, they often are at the mercy of landlords and local governments to repair or rebuild housing they can access and afford. In this chapter, we explore key variables that guide decisions about affordable housing post-disaster, based on the 2013 floods in Colorado. The floods destroyed a significant amount of affordable housing in a region where housing affordability is a major and ongoing challenge.
