Educating for Environmental Justice: Students Assisting with FEMA Disaster Relief

Overview: Following flooding that damaged many homes in Detroit and southeast Michigan, an urban school of social work partnered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist applicants for disaster relief. Focus groups with student participants in this pilot program offer insights for schools considering similar partnerships.Proposal text: Natural disasters threaten health and safety, property, infrastructure, and national security and lead to insecurity, disruption of life, and economic loss. Some disasters, such as hurricanes, can be predicted; others occur without warning (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, n.d.). The increase in the number and intensity of natural disasters such as drought, hurricanes, flooding, and extreme heat that are aggravated by climate change do not affect everyone equally (Nicholas & Breakey, 2019). Ageism combined with racism and classism creates conditions that disproportionately affect older persons during natural disasters (Gullette, 2017). The profession’s commitment to environmental justice requires schools of social work to prepare students to address the impacts of climate change.

This presentation describes a partnership during Fall 2021between an urban school of social work (SSW) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist people, primarily older adults, whose homes sustained damage during major flooding in June 2021. The SSW worked with FEMA in a short-term project to help people access resources to repair and restore damaged homes, repair, or replace mechanical and electrical systems, deal with mold and other health hazards, and replace personal belongings.

Social work students trained by FEMA made outreach calls to homeowners whose applications for relief were rejected. Using information and referral and case management, the students worked with the homeowners to facilitate access to help that in some cases resulted in the approval of their FEMA application (due to assistance with technical issues such as missing documentation or errors in the application) or in other cases connected them with alternative sources of help and support. Students received stipends for participation.

A focus group with the student participants provided insights on their motivations and experiences with training and supervision, issues affecting the applicants, and social work skills developed. Students were required to attend FEMA’s virtual orientation, but much of the information provided did not directly relate to what they did to help. SSW staff and faculty overseeing the program provided ongoing support that students considered vital as they worked to assist applicants. Some homes were extensively damaged and resources available from FEMA were insufficient. The homeowners often suspected that the students were scammers; students also learned of exploitation by contractors. On a positive note, students honed empathy, reflection, and supportive listening skills as they heard stressors associated with maintaining their homes amidst losses due to covid and their knowledge of community resources expanded.

The focus group results plus faculty and staff insights from the project offer important information to help develop practice-based educational opportunities that supplement formal field placements and help students work towards environmental justice. Schools of social work can benefit from short-term opportunities to partner with FEMA and other organizations to provide outreach services to link vulnerable clients with community resources. They provide practice experiences for students that help them develop social work skills and learn about people’s experience in accessing community resources related to disaster relief which are increasingly important today.