Community Diversity
in the South
Tapping Underutilized Resources
Jorge H. Atiles, Ph.D.
Extension Housing Specialist
The University of Georgia
Drivers of Rural
Development Success
• Broadening Civic Involvement is essential
for achieving rural development, social
stability and economic growth.
• Civic involvement in the Rural South is more
challenging now than ten years ago as our
population has become more diverse.
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Civic Involvement and Diversity
• When people provide input to their government about
the issues affecting the community, it not only
strengthens the relationship between the public and its
government, but it also enhances the outcome of the
policy decisions or projects being decided upon.
• Rural development programs, services and land use
projects need to be shaped by involvement from the
community.
• But aside from major urban and suburban areas, the
process for rural civic involvement is affected by the
lack of effective means for engaging the poor and
immigrants.
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Drivers of Rural
Development Success...
• One of the main drivers of economic growth in the
rural South is the rapid influx of immigrant workers
to supply industries with much needed labor force.
• Diversity brought by Mexican, Guatemalan and other
Latin American nationals has also added a challenge
for community services in the rural South. Some
counties have welcomed and responded quickly to the
challenges (e.g., Whitfield county, GA) while others
have not.
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Diversity Numbers in the South
• The population changes in the 1990’s were
fueled by a growing economy that demanded
readily available labor. Latinos came to meet
the demand for intensive, cheaper labor.
Asians also arrived in great numbers to better
their quality of life. Eastern Europeans arrived
after much turmoil and war in the Balkans.
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Diversity Numbers
• Population changes in the last decade
– The US has changed its population profile by being the
recipient of large numbers of immigrants (4.7 % of
population), particularly, from Latin America (54.7% of all
recent immigrants).
– Hispanics are now the largest minority group and their
presence in the South has even tripled in states such as
Georgia and North Carolina. However, for the most part
and with Texas as an exception, Hispanics/Latinos are not
the largest minority in the South, African Americans are.
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In Georgia,
for example,
Hispanics are
not the largest
minority, but
they are
present all
over the state.
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Latinos as Immigrants
•
•
•
•
Not all Latinos in the South are immigrants
But the majority of these Latinos are immigrants
In the USA, 1 in 5 immigrants is Hispanic
Of all states, Georgia has the most counties (25) with
more than a 50% increase in immigrants
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Latino Population
• During the 1990’s, the U.S. experienced a
rapid increase in Latino population. In the
South alone, the Latino population grew to
about 11.6 million in 2000.
• Latino population in excess of 35 million:
America’s largest minority group
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The Challenge
How does one get an immigrant population
involved?
The growing immigrant population created
additional challenges for policy makers and
service providers. These recent immigrants are
also challenged by a new environment and a
different culture in which they must strive to
meet their dreams for a better life.
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Diversity and the Array of Challenges
Many recent immigrants join the limited-income groups of the
rural South. They provide fuel for the economy but do not
fully enjoy the wages that allow them a comfortable quality of
life, although in many cases is an economic improvement
when compared to wages in their homelands.
Language is a communication barrier that prevents full civic
engagement of these new rural inhabitants. The low-literacy
level in Spanish and English is prevalent among many
impoverished newcomers and makes involvement difficult.
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Diversity and the Array of Challenges
Other challenges include:
• Documentation status.
• Inability to vote and serve in public office, and the
• Fear of deportation also creates segments of the
population that naturally disengage from public life
and from speaking out on community needs and
issues.
Thus, these circumstances affect the manner in which
rural immigrants can engage in leadership roles.
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Impediments to Civic Involvement
• Poverty is an illness that affects the rural South and
ethnic diversity is mostly represented among the
poor.
• Moreover, low-income people are often
overwhelmed by concrete daily needs and crises that
prevent them from proactively acting on community
issues.
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Impediments...
• Low-income people often believe that they cannot
affect the world in which they live and thus do not
engage in affecting it.
• They also lack the necessary knowledge and
information to scrutinize social policy, particularly,
when the policies are very foreign to an immigrant
group.
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The Southern Rural
POVERTY BELT Challenge
• The most impoverished America’s rural area
• It includes counties with more than 25% African
Americans (double the national average)
• A total population of 8.2 million people, 3.3 million is
African American.
• Ground water is closer to the surface and thus at
more risk of contamination. Soil types are more
conducive to poor water quality.
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The Southern Rural
POVERTY BELT
The Belt is characterized by:
• Lack of economic diversification
• Reliance on natural resources
• Low levels of physical and social infrastructure
• High dependence on government spending
• Low levels of educational attainment
• Intergenerational poverty
• Poor access to Health care
• Substandard Housing
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The Untapped Resources
1) The diversity of the people:
• The people native to the area
• The new people
• The future people
• All people.... with their diverse backgrounds
2) The potential use of non-traditional skills brought
by new immigrants that could offer an opportunity
to develop other industries (e.g. bamboo furniture)
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The Untapped Resources
• These resources can only be tapped if developed to their full
potential
• If their basic needs are addressed in conjunction with the
economic future of rural areas
• If policies are developed to fully support the involvement of
industries in the socioeconomic development of the counties
• If stewardship is rewarded and responsible citizenship is
promoted
• If the workforce is protected regardless of national status
• If cultural differences are acknowledged and used to
celebrate diversity
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Engaging the Poor and the Workforce
• Many recent Hispanic immigrants, often referred to as Latinos,
are coming from poor rural areas of North, Central and South
American countries to work in agriculture, construction,
landscaping, housekeeping, manufacturing, and poultry
processing plants, among other occupations.
• This segment of the Latino immigrants have more housing
challenges than other Latinos who hold college degrees and
adapt more quickly to the American society and its housing.
Low wages and limited knowledge of the English language
and the regulations pertaining to housing, consumer goods and
financial products are barriers for these recent immigrants to
find decent, safe and affordable housing.
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Diversity and Need
• Unfortunately, many of these immigrants live in
homes that are not healthy, may not have adequate
plumbing or water supply, and are dilapidated. But
that might be the only type of housing they could
afford to rent or buy here, thus they adapt to these
conditions, many times sacrificing their own housing
values and aspirations.
• Consequently, housing education that is offered in
their language and in simple terms is necessary to
help new immigrants find suitable housing and
incorporate their culture in their homes in a manner
that meets housing codes and other housing-related
regulations in communities all over the U.S.
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Diversity and Need...
• The reality is that low-income residents, particularly
minorities, suffer disproportionately from
environmental health hazards as they are more likely
to acquire housing that is older and in need of repair
or maintenance to remove environmental health
hazards
• Of African American children living in older housing
in primarily urban areas, almost 22 percent suffer
from lead poisoning, compared with only 5 percent of
white children in similar areas.
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Underutilized Resources:
Reaching out in a Diverse South
Tap the local, state and federal resources to move the
Rural South forward. Enhance the capabilities of
local agencies and nonprofits to address local needs
and be able to attract job opportunities. Work with:
•
•
•
•
•
Community grassroots
Local government
State agencies
Health Departments
Employers
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When Engaging a Diverse Group
Think out of the box!!
CONSIDER THE NEEDS
and how these may impede
successful rural development
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For instance, consider that:
Housing is essential for the
workforce and for ensuring a stable
labor for industries wanting to locate
in rural settings.
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Diversity Influences in Housing
• Cultural influences in housing continue to take
place in contemporary society. United States,
the land of immigrants, continues to be the
preferred destination for many individuals and
families of other cultures.
• Immigrants bring their values, expectations
and dreams about housing and go through a
period of adaptation to the housing this
country offers.
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Diversity in Housing Needs
• Asians and Hispanics are typically accustomed to different
housing layouts and construction techniques from those found
in the U.S. In addition, cultural and household characteristics,
such as the number of people in the family, also influence the
way immigrants look at housing to meet their family needs for
space, comfort and proximity to services.
• For example, the needs of a large (extended) immigrant family
or the needs of an Asian family might want to look for housing
that incorporates Feng Shui design elements in its architecture.
Other immigrants may want to have a large yard where they
can have a vegetable or fruit garden, for example.
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Communities need to do asset mapping
and think of their diverse population as
an asset that will influence future
development.
This asset could be positive or negative
to development depending upon the
actions taken by rural leaders
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CRITICAL THINKING
HOW CAN YOUR rural TOWN TURN AROUND?
• Have you done a housing needs assessment? When?
• Is your zoning inclusive? How do you treat
manufactured housing in your community?
• Do you contribute to urban sprawl?
• Do you have a solid tax base to implement programs for
affordable housing, community improvements and
economic development?
• Where does your workforce lives?
• How many building permits did you issue in the last 10
years for new construction? What price housing?
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THINK of HUMAN ECOLOGY
• Communities are made of households of all types,
natural resources, buildings and roads and as an
ecosystem in itself is impacted by human action in
the use and development of resources. .
• The health, socioeconomic and environmental well
being of our communities and families depends upon
our actions as consumers and users .
• Sustainability becomes possible when resources are
managed in consideration of the ever-changing
process of the lives of people, communities and even
societies…from birth to death .
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THINK of CONSUMER LITERACY
• Homebuyer & Tenant Education. Promote
responsible and sustainable ownership. You
have access to education via your local
extension service. Support it!
• Fair Housing and Housing Discrimination.
• Credit and Financial Education and counseling.
• Basic housing life skills.
• Predatory lending and fraud awareness.
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THINK of WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT
• Survey the skills available...consider the skills
brought by immigrants.
• Include the workforce in the development
decisions, seek out input.
• Foster skill development centers at technical
schools.
• Address the language issues in the workforce.
• Think of social justice and opportunities for all.
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THINK of ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH
• When designing your town’s landscape.
• When looking at rehabilitation.
• When pondering resources to control chronic
diseases like asthma and absenteeism in
schools.
• When conducting building inspections and
before issuing a residence permit.
• When restoring older structures.
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THINK of the NATURAL
ENVIRONMENT - BMPs
• When locating a neighborhood near industry,
marshes, water bodies, etc. (concerns for lead,
mercury, water contamination, etc.)
• When looking at urban runoff. What are your
ordinances and design guidelines for this issue?
• When thinking of waste collection programs.
• When permitting or inspecting septic tanks.
• When looking at transportation.
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THINK of YOUR TOWN’s ASSETS
• Asset mapping is critical to determine your
strengths as a community and how you can move
forward. this includes all forms of housing,
buildings, natural resources and people.
• Determining needs, helps you be clear on what
you do NOT need at the time. It helps planning.
• YOUR people and NGOs: listen and ask for help.
• List your barriers and set goals to overcome them.
• Celebrate your virtues and incorporate them into
your town design and landscape.
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THINK of INNOVATIVE FINANCING
• IF you are not a HUD entitlement community.
Work hard to demonstrate to your State Housing
Agency how you can use funding to impact your
community at ALL levels. Are you ready to
compete???
• Talk to lenders, work in partnership with them and
builders and promote consumer financial literacy.
• Design incentive programs to promote the
construction and renovation of affordable
housing.
• Set rehab loan program for homeowners in need.
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THINK of QUALITY GROWTH
• Planning saves money! Costs of public services
per dwelling unit are higher in an unplanned rural
area than in unplanned or planned urban areas.
• Look very closely at the hidden costs of growth
• In a time of scarce resources you might decide to
renovate, rehabilitate or replace the existing
housing stock. Design incentives to promote it.
• What is your emphasis: walking or driving?
houses with front porches and small lots or
suburban homes with large lots and no porches?
• HOW DO YOU WANT YOUR COMMUNITY TO GROW?.
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THINK of QUALITY GROWTH...
• Know the research...for instance: Farms, forests and
other open lands may bring in less revenue per acre than
housing development. But they require far less expenditure,
due to their modest demand for public infrastructure and
services. However, revenues from housing developments
fell far short of supporting the cost of services the new
housing demanded (Schools, 911, etc.)
• Approved development should be steered to those
geographic areas that minimize the cost of servicing the
development. Conservation subdivisions and higherdensity development (for the same number of units) also
help lessen the negative economic impact of converting
farmland into houses."
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THINK of HOUSING EQUALITY &
SOCIAL JUSTICE
• Promote Fair Housing
• Address Housing Discrimination
• Know your resources
• Are you planning and designing for everybody?
How universal are your design criteria?
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Ways to become Involved
• Community participation takes on many forms,
ranging from public/private partnerships, service on
town boards and commissions, volunteering on behalf
of town programs and services, and addressing the
town council on issues of interest to the public.
• Just as it is the responsibility of each citizen to vote, it
should be the responsibility of each resident to
participate as a partner with government in shaping
public policy. Are the rural towns effectively
encouraging their residents to participate with the
government in shaping the future of the community?
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Final Thoughts
• Taking advantage of the untapped resources
and skills that a more diverse population bring
to the South may be a great step to further
economic and social development in rural
areas.
• Celebrate your assets....people first!
• Maximize the capabilities of the people
• Market this untapped resource to further
economic growth and improve quality of life.
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