| Sheltering populations with functional needs during disasters is a complex process, one involving multiple factors impacting community health services and the economy. Little research has investigated disaster management agencies, a gap which has impaired sheltering processes for homeless and displaced veterans. The purpose of this research was first to illuminate the current processes, actions, and interactions for sheltering homeless and displaced veterans, and then to investigate how the processes could be improved. A qualitative grounded theory approach was used. Data were collected by interviewing 12 disaster experts from federal, state, local, and nongovernmental disaster management agencies. The data were manually coded and a thematic analysis software used during analysis. The findings suggest that disaster management agencies continue to improve processes, but challenges remained in identifying veterans, managing functional needs populations, and building and maintaining interagency relationships. The improvements that were suggested by participants included the need for increased interagency communication, planning, and training as well as a more outward participation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The positive social change implications include improved disaster preparedness processes that can lead to decreased medical care costs and improved social and economic wellbeing for veterans and their communities. |
