DE-DESIGNING SEGREGATION, PART II:
RECAP AND OVERVIEW OF SOLUTIONS FOR ADDRESSING SEGREGATION
May 7, 2020 Erin Boggs, Esq. Executive Director
OPEN COMMUNITIES ALLIANCE Embracing Diversity to Strengthen Connecticut
Open Communities Alliance is a Connecticut-based civil rights non-profit working with an urban-suburban interracial coalition to advocate for access to opportunity, particularly through promoting balanced affordable housing development, including in thriving communities. 2
LINK TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING Great income disparities by race, and government policies influencing where affordable units go, mean that CT’s affordable housing crisis is also a segregation crisis. CT has the 9th highest housing wage in the nation – A family would have to work 99 hours a week at minimum wage to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
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CT IS ONE OF THE MOST SEGREGATED STATES IN THE NATION Shaped by multiple factors: -
Zoning
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Subsidized housing locations
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Limits on housing authority jurisdiction
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Disinvestment
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History of intentional segregating policies 4
IMPACT ON OPPORTUNITY
Education Opportunity Score
Economic Opportunity Score
Housing/Neig hborhood Score
Final Opportunity Score (Map)
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WHERE DO WE LIVE? OPPORTUNITY BY RACE AND ETHNICITY IN CT
% of People by Race & Ethnicity Living in Lower Opportunity Areas Blacks: Latinos: Whites: Asians:
73% 73% 26% 36%
GOVERNMENT ROLE IN CREATING SEGREGATION New Haven region redlining map – 1937
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INCOME & WEALTH DISPARITIES ď‚Ą Historically, Blacks and Latinos earned on average half or less of what whites earned and had a 10% or less of the wealth. ď‚Ą This wealth disparity is projected to widen to POC having only 1% of the wealth that whites have. Forbes, September 2017, available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/niall mccarthy/2017/09/14/racial-wealthinequality-in-the-u-s-is-rampant-i nfographic/#1baff41734e8 .
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POVERTY/OPPORTUNITY/HOUSING/SCHOOL Town
Opportunity Level
% Affordable Housing (per CGS Sec. 8-30g – rounded – Goal = 10%)
Low (Very Low – High)
32%
Moderate
3%
East Haven
Low
8%
Hamden
High
9%
North Haven
Very High
5%
Orange
Very High
1%
West Haven
High
14%
Woodbridge
Very High
1%
New Haven Branford
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BUSTING MYTHS AROUND MIXED INCOME HOUSING IN THRIVING COMMUNITIES M t. Laurel, NJ case study ( 67% decrease in welfare participa tion; no negative impact on property va lues, crime, etc.) Crime r ates do not increase. Pr oper ty values do not decrea se. Concerns about “character ” can be addr es sed thr oug h d esig n elements. There is typically not a sudden lar ge influx of children + some towns have declining enrollments + fair housing act + diver sity is a plus .
Heritage Glen, Farmington (above) Hales Court, Westport (at right)
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BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY Cultural competency for the workplaces of the future. Fosters critical thinking. Decreases stereotypes and racism. Improved learning for all students.
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LET’S SET SOME GOALS
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HOW MUCH AFFORDABLE HOUSING DO WE NEED? Need Measure
Units Needed in New Haven County
Actual Need for Affordable Housing in New Haven County
79,630
(households at 50% AMI spending 30% + on housing) 50% AMI = $30,146
Actual Deep Need for Affordable Housing in New Haven County
38,090
(households at 30% AMI spending 50% + on housing) 30% AMI = $18,087
Deficit from New Haven County Towns not reaching 10% Goal Under 8-30g
10,000
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SOLUTIONS
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BIG PICTURE SOLUTIONS
Address Exclusionary Zoning Adopt Fair Share – Every town agrees to allow for its “fair share” of the need for affordable housing. Lots of other strategies – to be discussed.
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BALANCED INVESTMENT Balan ce where the govern men t is in vestin g in h ousin g. Allocate housing investments by opportunity level to be sure the higher opportunity affordable housing get built (then affirmatively market the new units across racial lines). Strategically invest in rehabilitation for existing housing, including by getting input from residents about where they want to live. Empower developers of high quality subsidized/mixed income housing (including housing authorities).
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OFFER GENUINE CHOICE Ensure families who have historically been cut off from high opportunity areas can access new opportunities. Mobility counseling. Reform ulate housing voucher pr ogr ams to offer real choices. E.g . Ensur e pr og r am r en ts = r eal mar k et rents th r oug h out r eg i ons. E.g . Empower h ousi ng auth or i ti es to be str ong par tners i n of f er i ng ch oi ces.
Housing Authority Jurisdiction In many parts the countr y, housing author ities operat e on a county-wide basis. N ot so in CT. That m eans that some of our best m ission driven de veloper s are lim ited in t heir ability to prom ote choices for their clients having to work within their “jurisdiction” when building and placing pr oject-based vouchers and losing adm inistrative fees if families with tenant-based vouchers move elsewhere. 19
Maps provided courtesy of Professor Stefanie Deluca of Johns Hopkins University.
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8 years later
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Erin Boggs, Esq. Executive Director Open Communities Alliance 75 Charter Oak Avenue Suite 1-210 Hartford, CT 06106 Tel. 860.610-6040 eboggs@ctoca.org Check us out and join the coalition at: http://www.ctoca.org
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