building and sustaining affordable housing

Housing is a basic need around which our health and stability is built, our neighborhoods are centered and housing (through homeownership) is a cornerstone for wealth building. Thus access to safe, quality and affordable housing is one of the biggest issues impacting communities across the US. History has taught us that housing policy has played a significant role in creating segregated communities and perpetuating systemic racism.

In order to advance racial equity we need to enact new policies and allocate new resources to make sure we have affordable rental and homeownership options available in every neighborhood.

Discussion Questions

Read through the following questions and answer them based off what you learned from the readings:

1. How do you define affordable housing? Where is affordable housing located in your city? Who do you see as needing affordable housing? The U.S. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines affordable housing as housing on which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities. Does this change your perspective?

2. What are some factors that impact housing accessibility and affordability in your opinion? What did you learn from the essay materials?

3. Is gentrification occurring in your community? Where? What has that process looked like? Are there any policies in place to protect against it?

4. How did the interviews and/or podcasts impact you? What issues or solutions did they raise that resonate with your and/or are present in your community?

Exercises

Do a quick google search to find out: The gap between black and white homeownership in your city? What is the average income in your city? The average sales price of a home?

Housing is usually discussed by housing developers as Area Median Income - do a search to find what that means? What is the AMI in your community?

What is your relationship to homeownership? Has it been easy or hard for you to access? Your family? Has it provided an opportunity for wealth building?

Identify at least 1-2 organizations who are providing affordable housing in your community. What are the range of housing types they are providing? What income ranges are they serving? Where have they built housing?

Additional Resources

Housing Segregation In Everything
Maria Paz Gutierrez, NPR (April 11, 2018)

The Color of Law
Richard Rothstein (2017)

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">A Case for Reparations
Annika Neklason, The Atlantic (June 2014)

In 83 Million Eviction Records, a Sweeping and Intimate New Look at Housing in America
Emily Badger and Quoctrung Bui (April 7, 2018)

Yes, you can gentrify a neighborhood without pushing out poor people

Jesse Van Tol, The Washington Post (April 8, 2019)

Inclusionary Zoning Laws offer Opportunity to Combat Low Income Residency Exclusion

Lilo Blank, Temple University for Public Health Havard Law (August 9, 2019)

Shifting Neighborhoods: Gentrification and Cultural Displacement in American Cities
Jason Richardson, Bruce Mitchell, Juan Franco (March 19, 2019)

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Introduction

Message from the Authors

The Richmond Racial Equity Essays launched in 2021 with the goal of promoting thought leadership and public dialogue toward advancing racial equity in Richmond, Virginia, but also as a multi-media model for other cities grappling...

Section I

Introduction

Planning for Inclusive Communities

Urban planning concerns itself with the design and uses of space (or land) that focus on the physical form, economic functions, and social impacts of the built and natural environments in cities, towns and places in our communities. Although...

Section II

Introduction

Section III

Building Sustainable and Affordable Housing

Housing is a basic need around which our health and stability is built, our neighborhoods are centered and housing (through homeownership) is a cornerstone for wealth building. Thus access to...

Section III

Ensuring Education Equity
The quality of one’s education has a significant impact on both their access to opportunity and life outcomes. Yet, many Black and Brown children lack the access to a quality education within....

Section IV

Section III

Section IV

Advancing Economic Empowerment

The link between capitalism and systemic racism has been with us even before the founding of the United States, as using people for profit is one of our country’s original sins. The compounding...

Section V

Section III

Section IV

Shifting Power and Reimagining Partnerships

Central among our ongoing reckoning with racial justice is the question of how power is shifted and shared through partnerships. Historically marginalized communities...

Section VI

Section VIII

Section VII

Lifting Up Latino Leadership and Language Access

Latinos will soon be a majority in many cities across the U.S., yet the numbers of Latino leaders continue to lag across sectors as compared with other groups. This inequitable distribution of power...

Section VII

Section VIII

Section VII

Creating Community, Healing, and Justice

In the journey to dismantle structures of white supremacy there must be attention paid to community rebuilding and healing. Trauma from racism has negatively impacted Black and Brown people, and...

Section VIII

Building a Healthy Environment

Most U.S. localities are legally tasked to make decisions that protect the health, safety and general welfare of its inhabitants. While environmental health should be provided for all populations, communities...

Section IX

Section VIII

Summary

Thank you for reading, watching, and listening to the content from the Richmond Racial Equity Essays. We hope this guide helped you delve deeper into the material and furthered your learning and...

building and sustaining affordable housing

Featured Essays and Media

Discussion Questions

Read through the following questions and answer them based off what you learned from the readings:

Exercises

Examples

Agra-hood

Better Housing Coalition

Community Land Trusts

Partnership for Housing Affordability

Additional Resources

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Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

Section I

Introduction

Introduction

Section II

Introduction

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Section IV

Section III

Section IV

Section V

Section III

Section IV

Section VI

Section VIII

Section VII

Section VII

Section VIII

Section VII

Section VIII

Section VIII

Section VIII

Section IX

Section IX

Section VIII

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