Why Fair Housing Matters
For Regional Economic Prosperity
Danielle Bergstrom, Program Associate, PolicyLInk
Jason Reece, Director of Research, The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity
Southeast Michigan Fair Housing + Equity Summit
Detroit, MI
11 December 2013
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Introduction
PolicyLink
Mission
PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing economic and social equity by
Lifting Up What Works.®
Our Work
Founded in 1999, PolicyLink connects the work of people on the ground to the creation of
sustainable communities of opportunity that allow everyone to participate and prosper. Such
communities offer access to quality jobs, affordable housing, good schools, transportation, and
the benefits of healthy food and physical activity.
The Kirwan Institute: Solving Problems & Building Opportunity
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Introduction
Why Equity Matters Now
The face of America is changing.
Our population is rapidly diversifying. And By 2042, we will be a majority
people-of-color nation.
The fate of the nation hinges on how we invest in
communities of color.
As the country witnesses new extremes of inequality alongside the
emergence of a new people‐of‐color majority, equity has become an
economic imperative as well as a moral one.
The way forward: an equity-driven growth model.
To secure America’s prosperity, we must implement a new economic model
based on equity, fairness, and opportunity.
Regions are where this new growth model will be created.
Regions are the key competitive unit in the global economy, and the level
where strategies are being incubated that bring about robust job growth that
is linked to low-income communities and communities of color.
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Economists are finding a
correlation between economic and
racial inclusion and regional
economic growth.
Manuel Pastor, “Cohesion and Competitiveness: Business Leadership for Regional Growth and Social Equity,”
OECD Territorial Reviews, Competitive Cities in the Global Economy, Organisation For Economic Co-Operation
And Development (OECD), 2006.
Manuel Pastor and Chris Benner, Been Down So Long: Weak-Market Cities and Regional Equity Retooling for
Growth (New York: American Assembly and Columbia University, 2008).
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Introduction
Inequality is Bad for Sustained Economic Growth
Source: Andrew Berg & Jonathan Ostry, International Monetary Fund
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Economists have found that
racial segregation and income
inequality impedes economic
mobility.
Raj Chetty, Nathaniel Hendren, Patrick Kline, Emmanuel Saez, “The Equality of Opportunity Project,”
University of California Berkeley and Harvard University, 2013.
Why Does Fair Housing Matter:
Because Place Matters in Profound Ways
“Point to a group of toddlers in a low-income neighborhood, and — especially if they’re boys — they’re
much more likely to end up dropping out of school, struggling in dead-end jobs and having trouble
with the law.
Something is profoundly wrong when we can point to 2-year-olds in this country and make a plausible bet
about their long-term outcomes — not based on their brains and capabilities, but on their ZIP codes.”
Nick Kristof, “For Obama’s Second Term, Mr. President Start Here”. New York Times. January 23rd 2013
Thriving Neighborhoods = Thriving Children
Struggling neighborhoods = Struggling Children
Neighborhood conditions and childhood development are intricately intertwined
Opportunity structures are vital to combating the
impact of poverty, creating strong neighborhoods and
an environment in which children can become
successful adults.
Confronting the “wicked triangle” (family poverty,
neighborhood poverty, broken opportunity structures).
Fair Housing, Place & Health
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Introduction
Segregation is Bad for Economic Mobility
Detroit: 5.1%
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Context
The Region is Growing Increasingly Diverse
Percent Change in People of Color by Census Block Group, 2000 to 2010
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Context
Sprawl Continues to Exacerbate Regional Inequity
Average Travel Time to Work by Census Tract and High People of Color Tracts, 2006-2010
Typical Neighborhood Conditions for Various Racial Groups:
Detroit Metro Area (Source: Brown University)
Neighborhood Unemployment Rate
Neighborhood Vacancy Rate
30
20
25
15
20
10
15
10
5
5
0
White
African
American
Latino
Asian
0
White
African
American
Neighborhood Poverty Rate
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
White
African
American
Latino
Asian
Latino
Asian
Neighborhood Opportunity Index: Detroit Metro Area
(Source: The Kirwan Institute)
Supported by the Kresge Foundation
Neighborhood Opportunity Index & Racial Isolation: Detroit Metro Area
(Source: The Kirwan Institute)
Supported by the Kresge Foundation
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Moving Forward
Advance Fair Housing as an Economic Growth Strategy
Expand mobility options in higher opportunity neighborhoods
- Focus on reducing barriers to affordable housing (zoning, parking requirements)
- Establish affirmative marketing programs for low-income and people of color
- Allocate transportation funds to jurisdictions that reduce barriers to fair housing
- Focus transportation funding on transit to connect workers to job centers and schools
Reinvest in high poverty communities
- Create strategic reinvestment plans for high-poverty communities that leverage public,
private, and philanthropic dollars
- Build partnerships with community organizations and residents to prioritize highest
need investments
- Be dogged about measuring people and place-based outcomes of programs and
funding to ensure that they are directly benefitting low-income communities of color
Investing in People
Investing in Places
Supporting Linkages
People, Places and Linkages: A Broader View of Fair Housing & Equity
Asset & Wealth Building
Vacant Land Redevelopment, Land
Banking & Blight Removal
Assuring Housing Mobility Through
Regional Housing Strategies
K 12 School Reform
Community Land Trusts & Housing
Stabilization
Supporting Fair Housing Enforcement
Magnet Schools
Community Development &
Infrastructure Investments
Supporting Inclusionary Housing
Development
Civic & Youth Engagement
Coordinated Service Delivery for Service
Providers & Organizations
Developing Transit Infrastructure
Mentoring & Leadership Training
Foreclosure Prevention
Pedestrian & Bicycle Infrastructure
Investments
Job Training & Labor Force
Development
Small Business Development & Business
Incubation
Supporting Strong Professional &
Business Networks
Reentry Programs for Ex Offenders
Community Health Investments & Fresh
Food Initiatives
Transit Oriented Development
Early Childhood Care & Education
Services
Improving Infrastructure and Open
Space
Bus Rapid Transit Systems
Family Supportive Services
Community Crime Prevention &
Supporting Safescapes
Developing Regional Greenways & Non
Motorized Paths
Fair Housing & Our Society’s Health & Well Being:
Raising Awareness of our Interdependence
We are all caught up in an inescapable network
of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.
Whatever effects one directly effects all
indirectly.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
-Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963
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Contact Information
Danielle Bergstrom
PolicyLink
danielle@policylink.org
510-663-4389
Jason Reece
The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity
Reece.35@osu.edu