New Interagency Resources Highlight Federal Support of Community-Driven Relocation

WASHINGTON -- The Department of the Interior and FEMA, in partnership with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Office of Science and Technology Policy, are pleased to announce the release of Opportunities for Federal Support of Community-Driven Relocation and Community-Driven Relocation: Guide for Communities to Federal Programs and Resources. These two resources were produced by the federal interagency Community-Driven Relocation Subcommittee, co-led by the Interior Department and FEMA with representation from 14 federal agencies and seven Executive Offices of the President. 

The Opportunities for Federal Support of Community-Driven Relocation report provides an overview of the current landscape of community-driven relocation in the United States. The phrase “community-driven relocation” is deliberate—the intent is to collectively reinforce that it is essential for the consideration or implementation of planned relocation projects be grounded in a community’s ability to define and determine their future. The report identifies next steps for federal agencies in developing an all-of-government strategy for holistically supporting communities that are relocating or considering relocating. The report also seeks to highlight that the federal government must consider challenges that may exist in the areas that individuals are relocating to (i.e., receiving communities) in order to establish holistic support of community-driven relocation.

This is the first federal report that begins to lay out an approach for building an all-of-government strategy for considering all the needs of a community when choosing community-driven relocation – and it is the first time that climate and legacy pollution-based relocation have been considered together. This report represents the next step to advance collaborative interagency support of communities seeking to relocate out of harm’s way. 

• Establishes a whole-of-government approach to community-driven relocation, outlining a unified vision, goals, and guiding principles for the federal government to follow.
• Details what community-driven relocation is, describing the challenges and the importance of the adaptation strategy. 
• Examines how the federal government can support communities through existing federal authorities and programs. 
• Presents actions for the federal government to improve support for community-driven relocation through a series of near-term, intermediate-term, and long-term actions. 

An additional resource, the Community-Driven Relocation: Guide for Communities to Federal Programs and Resources, was created as a tool for communities considering relocation to explore available federal resources. The guide includes details on programs, activities, and eligibility to help communities understand the range of opportunities that may be available to them. 

To learn more visit FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions and Historic Progress Supporting Tribal Nations and Native Communities Ahead of Fourth Annual White House Tribal Nations Summit.