Housing Justice

1
Housing Justice

• From
• separate and unequal
• To
• equal access to safe affordable housing

2

• Greensboro Housing Coalition
• www.greensborohousingcoalition.com

3
Separate Racial Segregation in Residential
Patterns

• 68 of Greensboro residents live in segregated
  areas (80 or more of single race)
• White areas (blue green)
• African American areas (red gold)
• More integrated areas (white)

Greensboro Racial Patterns in Housing
4
Unequal Disparities in Housing Quality

• Unsafe housing conditions cause health problems
• Housing code violations are concentrated in areas
  where rental owners do not maintain housing
  quality (light blue, blue)

City Code Violations
5
Unequal Disparities in Housing Security

• Foreclosures cause a decline in the property
  values around them, destabilizing neighborhoods
• Risks are concentrated in areas with large
  numbers of sub prime mortgages (orange, red)

Estimated Foreclosures Risk Factors
6
To reach equal access to safe affordable
housing

• What laws and strategies can be used more
  effectively to promote fair housing?
• What laws and strategies can be used more
  effectively to address substandard rentals?
• What laws, funding policies, and strategies can
  the City of Greensboro use to increase affordable
  housing in areas with a majority of white
  residents?

7
For people to have true choice of where to live,
they must have equal access and all choices must
be safe and secure.
8
To change the segregation map

• Provide fair housing education for landlords and
  tenants
• Dispel myths about others to get to Yes in My
  Backyard
• Test for discrimination
• Enforce fair housing laws
• Mandate or provide incentives for inclusionary
  zoning

9
To change the code violation map

• Certify that all rental units pass inspection for
  habitability
• Provide legal representation to tenants for rent
  abatement cases
• Provide tenant education about rights and
  responsibilities for housing maintenance

10
To change the foreclosure risk map

• Increase affordability through affordable loans,
  tax credit developments, housing choice vouchers
• Provide homebuyer education and foreclosure
  prevention counseling
• Enact anti-predatory lending legislation
• Provide incentives to purchase foreclosed
  properties and repair for re-sale or rent at
  affordable price to stabilize neighborhoods

11
What can Elon Law School do?

• Research laws and strategies that can be used
  more effectively to increase access to safe
  affordable housing
• Prepare a report of these strategies for
  community advocates to use in pursuing fair
  housing
• Present this report at Housing Summit
  2009Transforming the Housing Crisis into
  Opportunityon February 26