The climate crisis increases the frequency and intensity of disasters that are especially destructive in neighborhoods and regions where social and ecological vulnerability is high - like neighborhoods near levies, towns next to forests or industrial plants, and coastal areas with destroyed wetlands. Many communities have planned and begun implementing projects to build the resilience of their neighborhoods and regions, reducing the risk of damage by disasters, but funding is lacking. Meanwhile, insurance corporations are drastically raising rates, denying claims, and abandoning their responsibility to cover the damages of disasters. They are not legally required, nor have a clear incentive to invest in resilience projects that would reduce the risk of damage from disasters. Insurance corporations are neither fully covering home rebuilding, nor taking effective action to reduce the risk and build resilience. A new model of disaster insurance that increases community resilience and provides effective coverage is needed. A Housing Resilience Agency would be a public option for disaster insurance that also invests in local and regional projects to build community resilience.

Guests are:

Moira Birss, Senior Fellow at Climate & Community Institute and the author of Shared Fates: A Housing Resilience Policy Vision for the Home Insurance Crisis.

Sierra Kos, co-founder and co-executive director of Extreme Weather Survivors and filmmaker, advertising creative and presidential campaign veteran.

In this episode of Real Solutions, we discuss the issue of social housing as a response to the housing crisis. Social housing goes beyond simply building more housing units and demands those units be permanently affordable, promote social and racial equity, and include residents in decision-making that affects their homes. It’s a concept that can take many forms when it comes to implementation, and involves reimagining the government's role in, and commitment to, creating permanently affordable homes for all those who need them.

The guests are Fernando Abarca and Roberto Jimenez. Fernandno is Associate Director of Capital Strategies at Right To The City Alliance. He is a Salvadoran-American housing justice organizer based in Los Angeles/Tongva Lands, CA. And Roberto is Executive Director of Seattle’s groundbreaking Social Housing program. He has more than 20 years experience planning and developing social housing, affordable housing for farm workers, and other types of housing.