Buy-In Community Planning

Mission and Purpose Buy-In Community Planning, Inc. (Buy-In) is a national 501(c)(3) organization that works with flood-prone communities in need of targeted, affordable services to permanently eliminate exposure to hazards through voluntary relocation assistance. Using the power of geospatial data and participatory planning, we help communities design better buyout programs that are transparent, equitable, and environmentally restorative to ensure that no household is left in harm's way. More About Our Work Buy-In works with individuals, community-based organizations (CBOs), and governments to develop holistic relocation assistance programs that center people, housing, and land. In communities faced with mounting environmental risks, we ask: who wants to move, where will they go, and what happens to the land that gets left behind? Currently, Buy-In is working with frontline community leaders to develop bottom-up approaches to relocation assistance. We train leaders on survey design and implementation, climate risk literacy, and geospatial tools that identify priority areas for support. We are also developing program management software that increases the efficiency of applying for federal programs for low-capacity local governments. This systems-based approach streamlines data collection and analysis to make planning for assisted relocation more accessible to communities of all sizes. Our tools are facilitating the development of a national relocation assistance demand database that will raise awareness of the need for relocation resources and match communities to suitable public and private funding streams. Through multiple channels, our work facilitates permanent reduction of exposure to environmental hazards, addresses re-housing cost gaps and housing insecurity, and enables the conversion of bought out properties into high value conservation assets and recreational amenities.