Navigators Boost FEMA Equity

In Asheville’s Buncombe County, lower‑income homeowners typically received larger FEMA housing awards than higher‑income ones. The distinguishing factor was a dense network of nonprofits that helped residents apply and appeal, suggesting navigation capacity shapes who benefits from disaster aid. Building and funding navigator programs can counteract digital divides and procedural barriers. — It reframes disaster‑relief fairness as a governance‑capacity problem, implying policy should fund civil‑society and public navigators to ensure equitable access to federal aid.