In 2023, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conducted a case study with the City of Boston to better understand how this region used its Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) award for fiscal year (FY) 2019 to build its capability in the Housing core capability.
FEMA conducted an on-site visit to Boston, Massachusetts, to meet with the City of Boston and key stakeholders, including two contracted companies--Tetra Tech and DREAM Collaborative, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Urban Risk Lab (URL), and the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region (MBHSR). On-site discussions with stakeholders helped FEMA to gain insight into investment decision-making, regional capability-building strategies, and community-level experiences with RCPGP-funded projects.
Overall, this case study resulted in the following key findings:
- As the first RCPGP recipient to address the Housing core capability, the Boston Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has become a leader in developing post-disaster housing capability from an emergency management perspective and their efforts provide a model for how future RCPGP recipients can use customizable templates and stakeholder engagement strategies.
- Broad engagement with a variety of stakeholders, such as local department representatives, private-sector partners, and academic institutions, helps build a network of subject matter experts that facilitates greater knowledge-sharing.
- Customizable planning templates and interjurisdictional policy options developed with the RCPGP award enable individual jurisdictions to select and implement solutions that best meet their jurisdictions’ specific post-disaster housing needs and objectives.
- Boston’s Post-Disaster Housing Summit, held with grant funding, gathered stakeholders from across the region to increase information-sharing, build relationships in the emergency management and private sectors, and break down communication barriers across these communities.
This case study is part of a series that FEMA is conducting to better understand the implementation and use of RCPGP awards. These case studies explore the RCPGP grant recipients’ efforts to improve regional collaboration and stakeholder relationships, in addition to their efforts to build regional capability in areas targeted by the RCPGP.
The following section provides a brief overview on the background of the MBHSR and its unique challenges. Next, the report outlines the Boston OEM’s regional approaches, solutions, and outcomes to address those unique challenges. Finally, the report discusses specific RCPGP-funded projects, highlights best practices identified through these investments, and describes the benefits of these projects to Boston jurisdictions and their communities.
Read Full Report
