One Developer's Story - Presentation by: Karen DuBois-Walton

De-Designing Segregation One Developer’s Story Open Communities Alliance CONECT May 7, 2020

My story

• Why housing equity matters to me…

Affordable Housing in US

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History of Public Housing • Formed as a result of the Housing Act of 1937 •

Public housing met a need for housing

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Served to keep the poor from seeking housing in wealthier neighborhoods

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Corresponded with start of federal home loan programs –urban public housing for the poor and suburban homeownership for the middle class

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Suffered from years of public disinvestment, white flight associated with suburban development and segregated poverty

Today’s Public Housing • New models that mix public and private funding and diversify the income mix of the residents in the communities •

Connect housing with services

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Meet current design standards

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History of housing development in the US is a history of racist policy • Racism: a marriage of policies and ideas that produce and normalize racial inequities • Racist policy: any measure that produces or sustains racial inequities between racial groups Reversing that history requires anti-racist policy • Anti-racist policy: any measure that produces or sustains racial equity between racial groups (written and unwritten laws, rules, procedures, processes, regulations and guidelines that govern people Housing policy (and policy in other sectors) have been so historically racist that they have resulted in disproportionate economic disparities that have made “low-income” and “Black and Brown families” synonymous for far too many

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33% of applicants (3,330) on ECC/HANH waitlists come from CT towns surrounding New Haven If the 12 towns in the GNH region not meeting the 10% goal were to meet the threshold, 7,000 additional affordable units would be created

Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of the City of New Haven

Vision: We envision a Greater New Haven where every resident has a safe and decent home that they can afford and opportunities to fulfill their goals.

Mission: To make a positive difference in the lives of residents through the development and operation of affordable communities of choice and by providing opportunities for greater self-sufficiency.

CAPABILITIES BY THE NUMBERS

2

HOPE VI Revitalization Projects

2,100 Units Developed or Constructed

9

4 533 35

$800 Million of Residential Housing

Closed Rental Assistance Demonstration Projects

Comprehensive Master or Neighborhood Revitalization Plans

Closed Rental Assistance Demonstration Units

years in Housing Industry

What we build

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Aesthetically beautiful Energy efficient Sustainable Complementary to the style of the neighborhood Connected to services that families need High quality developments Multi-family communities

Challenges

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Affordable housing developers are not welcomed everywhere • Largely due to biases about poverty and families of color that have created and sustained racist policy •

Zoning • •

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Lot size Prohibitions against multi-family

Concerns about new public school growth Traffic Infrastructure Jurisdictional constraints on housing authorities

Families of color and low income families are not always seeking to move into spaces that do not feel welcoming • At all income brackets • Amplified for lower income families

Elm Haven to Monterey Place

Quinnipiac Terrace

Eastview Terrace 13

Brookside Estates Phase One

Brookside Estates Homeownership

RECENT AND SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE

Project Name and Address Farnam Courts Transformation Mill River Crossing 210 Hamilton St New Haven, CT Project size: $128 Million Duration: 2 years

RECENT AND SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE

Project Name and Address Chatham 197 Chatham St New Haven, CT Project Size: 57 Units, $29.8 Million Duration: 2 years

RECENT AND SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE

Project Name and Address Twin Brooks 3 Bosley St New Haven, CT Project Size: 106 Units, $42.8 Million

Duration: 26 months

RECENT AND SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE

Project Name and Address Wilmont Crossing 120 Wilmot St New Haven, CT Project Size: 47 Units, $19 Million Duration: 18 months

How do we move this forward?

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Continue to build the community will to create anti-racist housing policy throughout CT

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Address the local control issues that hamper development

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Address the jurisdiction issues that limit those who have access to housing subsidies from using them throughout the region

Karen DuBois-Walton, Ph.D. President Elm City Communities kdwalton@elmcitycommunities.org