Issues: Housing

BACKGROUND

There are a range of issues related to housing that contribute to economic mobility.

Years of discriminatory housing policy have historically kept certain racial and ethnic groups from accessing homeownership and accumulating wealth. From 1934 to 1986, the Federal Housing Authority contributed to segregation by refusing to insure mortgages to Black neighborhoods and those near them in a process known as “redlining.” A New Deal program even graded neighborhoods based on their alleged worthiness of investment risk, actually often tied to racial demographics, which led to disinvestment from communities of color. The legacy of these practices persists today in discriminatory lending, gentrification, and continued segregation.

People across the country have noticed that rents are rising and there are fewer affordable options every year in some cities. A report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University in 2020 found that an increase in renting at higher income levels has contributed to a reduction of low and moderate income options. Housing instability is not only stressful for families but may be connected to other economic mobility issues.

Homelessness is also a concern across the country and many local governments are investing in services to address access to housing for people who may be living on the streets, in shelters, or sharing space with extended family or friends. Because people experience homelessness in different ways and may be temporarily homeless throughout the year, it can be difficult to get the full picture in official statistics.

WHAT ARE THE RESPONSES?

Communities have reacted to continued housing discrimination by organizing around issues like tenants rights, inclusionary zoning, and affordable housing. Land trust models are a growing interest for some community groups and policy makers across the country. In Philadelphia, City Council introduced incentives for developers to include affordable housing units in their projects.

Some cities have introduced programs to provide lawyers for tenants in housing court and, during the COVID-19 pandemic which has disproportionately affected Black, Latinx and Indigenous people, some have created eviction moratoriums to prevent exploitation.

Local responses aimed at addressing access to affordable housing can also address past systemic discrimination and other issues that contribute to economic mobility, like access to education.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

Housing-related institutional racism remains with us in many ways. Reporters should ask how local governments have worked to end the harm done by these practices by seeking equitable solutions. Reporters should also keep immigration status and disability in mind when examining housing solutions, as they are compounding factors for economic security. Additionally, keep a close eye on government intervention that focuses on business incentives over policy changes that address the actual need. Do the results of such programs provide more benefit to wealthy companies or to the neighborhoods they are supposedly for? Are people accessing affordable housing programs or are they facing new barriers?