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Post-Derecho:
Providing Assistance to Community Homeowners (PATCH)
Following the devastating August 10, 2020 derecho in Linn County, Iowa, community organizations, nonprofits, government agencies, and philanthropic partners came together to address a critical recovery gap: homeowners whose disaster recovery needs were not fully covered by insurance, FEMA, or other traditional assistance programs.The result was the creation of the PATCH Program (Providing Assistance to Community Homeowners)—a locally driven, collaborative housing recovery initiative designed to help homeowners recover and remain safely housed after disaster.
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The PATCH Guide was developed by Linn Area Partners Active in Disaster (LAP-AID) to document the program’s development, implementation, lessons learned, and outcomes so other communities can adapt and replicate the model.
the Guide Includes:
• Assessing community disaster recovery needs
• Securing philanthropic and public funding
• Building collaborative partnerships
• Structuring intake and referral systems
• Managing forgivable loan programs
• Coordinating construction management
• Supporting manufactured housing recovery
• Tracking data, reporting, and program evaluation
• Managing long-term disaster recovery operations
• Preventing duplication of benefits
• Lessons learned from implementing a large-scale local recovery effort
PATCH Program Impact
• Served 292 households across 9 Linn County communities
• Distributed $3.44 million in recovery funding
• Provided up to $30,000 in forgivable assistance per household
• Helped stabilize housing and preserve community recovery following the derecho
The PATCH Program demonstrated that coordinated, community-led disaster recovery can successfully bridge recovery gaps and restore stability for disaster survivors.
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