ARC

In the face of climate change, more frequent and more destructive natural disasters are on the rise. During these difficult times, some communities face greater risks and find it much more difficult to recover. The elderly, people with disabilities, and individuals with critical medical needs require extra help to relocate to adequate shelter for survival and recovery. 

We Introduce ARC, a digital platform integrated with existing community support networks to match vulnerable populations with free and reliable temporary housing options to prepare for natural disasters.

• ACT alongside community-based organizations & volunteers

• Educate people to get READY for future disasters 

• CONNECT those most in need with hosts offering free housing

Many coastal areas and islands face more frequent and stronger extreme weather events today. People’s lives and properties are under constant imminent threats, and it takes tremendous amount of effort and resources for these regions to recover after major natural disasters, if ever. In 2017, natural disasters caused more than $300 billion in damage and nearly 2 million people were displaced in the US. In Puerto Rico alone, Hurricane Maria caused $90 billion in damage, approximately 3,000 deaths, and over 150 thousand people left the island in the two months after the hurricane. Disasters such as Maria expose the major gap in our society to provide adequate shelter for vulnerable populations. We still have a long way to go to make sure that everyone is ready for the next big storm. Today, in many places like Puerto Rico, 1) We do not yet know the size and location of the population that may need extra help to move to a shelter; 2) Our emergency response system do not yet account for the different communication and mobility needs to ensure equal access to resources and services; 4) We have yet to ensure safety, sufficient support, and dignity during recovery.

A hurricane may have the same force sweeping across an island, but the impact is felt differently. People with access and functional needs require extra help to weather a storm. Although there is no one size that fits all, some populations are hit the hardest. After Hurricane Maria, more than 150 thousand Puerto Ricans left the island, and more than 3,000 people lost their lives. Many of these happened due to lack of access to appropriate shelters. In particular, the elderly, people with disabilities, those with medical needs and low income individuals found it the most difficult to stay under a safe roof. Built on a strong network of actors and integrated with trusted anchor organizations, ARC looks to improve the preparedness and access to disaster management services and resources for vulnerable populations in coastal areas through: 1) In-person assistance to access the platform; 2) early matching with hosts who offer their spaces for free; 3) identification of needs and preferences; 4) and planning and action to in advance to get ready for disasters. 

ARC is a digital platform that matches individuals with access and functional needs with free and reliable temporary housing options to prepare for future natural disasters in the US.

ARC is built to empower a network of actors. ARC partners with local anchor organizations that already work to empower people with access and functional needs. Partners also help recruit and train individual volunteers to become ambassadors that provide on-the-ground support. Homeowners and hotels sign up to become hosts to share their space to people in need for free. 

Built on a strong network of actors, ARC supports three particular groups: 1) seniors of over 65 years old, likely living alone in low income urban areas; 2) people with chronic medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and kidney disease that rely on particular devices or procedures for life functions; 3) and people with physical or mobility challenges, such as those depend on wheelchairs. 

Based on the understanding of shared needs across these three groups, ARC matches them with reliable and free housing that: 1) Provides reliable power to support medical devices and procedures; 2) Is ADA compliant and wheelchair accessible for them to move safely; 3) and accommodate those that may need medical facilities nearby, in-person assistance, and other types of aids such as a guide dog. 

Team ARC understands the urgency and high stakes of this initiative. We are doing everything to make a real difference for people most in need.

• Multiple and early matching: We provide early matching to avoid chaos after disasters. We design for redundancy to avoid high-cost failure. We create multiple matchings of hosts and guests, as well as ambassadors who’s ready to help. 

• Built on and strengthen trust. ARC builds on trust and we do everything to reinforce that: We integrate with trusted local partners. We facilitate communication among all actors to create tangible bonds and connections. And we protect all actors’ privacy. 

• Tailored to needs & self-determined. Lastly, we empower people to understand their rights have them actively participate from the beginning to provide help that’s tailored to their needs  

We chose four states that are most prone to natural disasters. They include Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Puerto Rico. There are about 5 million people across these four states that have access and functional needs, particularly populations over 65 and with disability under 65 under poverty line, according to the US Census Bureau. We plan to go to market by piloting and phasing. We will be focusing on Puerto Rico for about 2,000 people in the first year, and rapidly expanding across the other three states over 5 years. Our target, realistically, is to onboard 5% of our 5 million total target population. That is 250 thousand guests. We believe that ARC has the potential to impact millions of lives.