Temporary Housing in Disaster Recovery | Access Code: July

ACCESS CODE: July

When disaster strikes, sheltering solutions must be flexible, inclusive, and rooted in real-world needs. Join ReloShare for a dynamic session on building more collaborative, trauma-informed approaches to temporary housing during disaster response. Learn how cross-sector partnerships—between emergency managers, government agencies, and community-based providers—can improve coordination and safety for displaced individuals, including survivors of interpersonal violence.

This session will explore strategies for integrating victim service providers into emergency planning, as well as considerations for individuals with medical needs, disabilities, pets, or safety concerns that may make traditional shelters unsuitable. Participants will leave with practical tools, planning questions, and policy insights to support more inclusive housing responses.

The session will conclude with a brief introduction to hoteling as one option within a broader sheltering strategy, including an overview of Safe Stays, a hotel booking platform designed to make it fast, accessible, and safe to book emergency hotel stays for survivors of disaster and violence, by removing the need for a real name, ID, or credit card.

Whether you're an emergency manager, caseworker, public health official, or advocate, this session will equip you with actionable strategies for making disaster response more inclusive, coordinated, and survivor-centered.

About the Presenter

Megan Elbin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and began her career as a Front Line Advocate at the Family Justice Center of St. Joseph County, where she provided crisis intervention to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and stalking. She went on to serve as a Case Management Advocate, delivering case management and legal advocacy services while leading the agency’s transition to a cloud-based client management system, improving service delivery and staff sustainability.

In 2022, Megan became the SOS and SART Coordinator for her county, overseeing the 24/7 crisis hotline and hospital response program, as well as coordinating the county’s multidisciplinary Sexual Assault Response Team. During her tenure, she launched a countywide emergency hoteling program using Safe Stays, which significantly expanded survivors’ access to emergency housing and reduced provider burnout.

Megan joined ReloShare in 2023 to help direct service providers enhance their impact through trauma-informed technology solutions. In 2024, she led ReloShare’s Catastrophe Project response following a flood that displaced over 1,200 households, managing hotel stays for more than 800 households across 50+ hotels and offering direct support to displaced individuals, government agencies, and contracted response teams.

A core focus of her work is leveraging technology to streamline social services—helping providers expand their reach, prevent burnout, and improve outcomes for those they serve. She is particularly passionate about connecting individuals in crisis to emergency housing solutions, ensuring that no one is left without options when they need them most.