Homeownership and Housing Displacement After Hurricane Katrina Among Low-Income African-American Mothers in New Orleans

Objective. We evaluate the effect of pre-Katrina housing tenure and postdisaster financial resources on the odds of housing displacement after Hurricane Katrina for a sample of low-income African-American mothers. Methods. Using longitudinal data from a sample of low-income African-American mothers with pre-Katrina measures of housing tenure and individual characteristics and post-Katrina indicators of disaster impacts, we estimate a multinomial logistic regression model predicting post-Katrina housing outcomes. Results. Among low-income African-American mothers, homeowners' odds of being in their pre-Katrina home rather than a new home are greater than those of renters, while renters' odds of being in a pre-Katrina home are greater than those of subsidized housing residents, ceteris paribus. The difference in homeowners' and renters' odds is reduced to insignificance when access to private insurance is added to the model, although the difference for subsidized housing residents remains. Conclusion. Homeownership and disaster assistance protect against housing displacement. Renters, especially those in subsidized housing, were more vulnerable to housing loss after this disaster.