Natural disasters aren’t rare events anymore. Fires in California, hurricanes in Florida, flooding in the Northeast, and tornadoes in the Midwest—these disasters have become expected. They’re part of the seasonal cycle. What we’re seeing now is that they aren’t isolated to specific areas or single incidents. Disasters are everywhere, and they’re reshaping housing markets in ways that affect entire communities.
At Upside, we’ve always known that even a one-off event—a house fire or a flooded basement—can disrupt a family’s stability. But today, it’s bigger than that. Disasters are hitting entire regions, displacing thousands, and forcing us to rethink what housing stability really means. It’s no longer just a real estate issue—it’s a community health issue.
When disaster removes homes from the market, the impact spreads fast. It doesn’t matter if the homes lost are high-end or affordable; the result is the same. People with resources move into temporary housing—hotels, short-term rentals, or smaller, more affordable apartments—while they rebuild or search for new homes.
That creates a chain reaction. Higher-income tenants, who are displaced but still have financial stability, grab up the available rentals. Meanwhile, working-class and lower-income families, already living on the edge, get pushed out.
The competition drives up rental prices and makes it harder for those with fewer options to find stable housing. Housing insecurity increases, and the effects don’t stop there. When people lose their housing, it disrupts their entire lives. Medical treatments fall off track, wellness plans get sidelined, and what starts as a housing issue quickly turns into a broader health crisis.
Here’s the hard truth: too many organizations wait until a disaster hits before they act. That reactive approach slows everything down. Teams get overwhelmed, queues grow long, and housing coordinators struggle to keep up with demand.
The solution? Prepare before it happens. Have a plan. Build relationships with partners who can scale resources up or down as needed. If you don’t, you’re caught flat-footed when disaster strikes, and your members are left waiting at the worst possible time.
At Upside, we’ve seen firsthand how quickly the right approach can make a difference. When disaster strikes, we can scale resources immediately. When demand levels off, we scale back. It’s not about overbuilding permanent internal teams; it’s about staying flexible and ready.
Most health plans and community organizations understand the need to support housing stability. Many already have small internal teams focused on housing-related services. But it’s rare to see more than a handful of people dedicated to this work full-time. That makes sense—overhiring isn’t practical when demand can spike and drop based on unpredictable events.
What makes a real difference is partnering with scalable solutions. When a disaster hits, you need to be ready to help your members—not scrambling to catch up.
You get stuck. Internal teams can’t keep up, and members in need fall through the cracks. Housing-related health issues go unaddressed. And once that downward spiral starts, it’s hard to stop.
The reality is that disasters aren’t going away. Whether it’s a flood, a wildfire, or a hurricane, the question isn’t if it will happen—it’s when. Preparing now means you’ll be ready when your members need you the most.
Upside Corporate Headquarters
200 E Las Olas Blvd 14th Floor
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
