This page is optimized for a taller screen. Please rotate your device or increase the size of your browser window.

Increasing Climate Change Resilience Among HUD Grantees


Highlights

  • Climate-related hazards have devastating effects on all communities, with low- and moderate-income communities at increased risk.
  • HUD and Abt developed the HUD Community Resilience Toolkit and Climate Resilience Implementation Guides to help communities use HUD funds to increase resilience.
  • The Toolkit has been published and multiple guides have been released.
The Challenge

Climate change is a crisis impacting communities across the United States, and Americans are already feeling its effects. While climate-related hazards have devastating effects on all communities, low- and moderate-income communities, including communities of color, are at an increased risk because their homes are more likely to be in harm’s way (e.g., located in floodplains); they are less able to prepare for, respond to, or recover from the impacts of extreme events and natural hazards; and they have relatively greater incidences of related health conditions such as respiratory disease, which can magnify the impacts of extreme events and poor local infrastructure. Working with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), an interdisciplinary Abt team developed tools to increase local communities’ resilience to climate change.

The Approach

The HUD Community Resilience Toolkit is a user-friendly guide to help recipients of HUD Community Planning and Development (CPD) funds identify opportunities to use their funding to enhance community resilience to the impacts of climate hazards. The toolkit is divided into six sections, each related to a specific climate hazard, such as sea level rise, inland flooding, or wildfire. Each section provides an overview of the climate hazard and risk factors, as well as suggestions for resilience actions that may be eligible for funding under CPD programs. Additionally, the toolkit includes a financing section with other funding opportunities to support resilience projects.