Puerto Rico Sheltering & Temporary Essential Power (STEP)

Case Study FEMA Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power (STEP) I Puerto Rico Department of Housing (PRDOH)

Resillience Delivered

Tidal Basin collaborated with the Department of Housing to create a work plan and strategy that launched the project in less than five days. Outreach Tidal Basin performed outreach using local media with unified communication messages outlining the overall program. All communications were in English and Spanish to accommodate all residents and applicants. We coordinated with state representatives, the media, and local officials during the outreach phase. Call Center Management Our team completed status reports for call centers, disaster recovery centers (DRC), and outreach programs. We coordinated with the FEMA disaster recovery branch director for Puerto Rico, distributing resources where high volumes of applicants reside. The call centers were staffed with residents, and they provided information to applicants and assisted with the eligibility process. The call centers managed hundreds of calls daily, all of which were recorded and documented.

Housing Program Tidal Basin designed and enacted a proprietary system that processed all functions of the program, including intake and eligibility of applicants, housing inspections, contractor billing, agency reviews and audits, and project closeout. The program, implemented in Spanish and English, was fully auditable in real time by the client, FEMA, and the office of the Inspector General. Our team managed the administration and reporting related to the system that tracked inspections and construction, call center data input, QA/QC, and registration and eligibility verification of 215,000 program applicants. We set forth procedural protocols necessary for appeal determinations, developed case management, and special case solutions, and coordinated with the department’s legal teams, who were responsible for establishing the eligibility and approval processes. In addition, we were also responsible for overseeing the documentation integrity required for reimbursement under the program. Our efforts enabled essential repairs to be made to homes across Puerto Rico and surrounding islands.

Project by the Numbers 215,000

Residents reached

122,000 108,000

Applicants

Repaired homes

15,154

Home inspections conducted in peak week People interviewed, hired and trained Trained staff for outreach and intake

700

1,100

9 Months 15 Months

Program Implementation

Program closeout Program startup

5 Days

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