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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2 PolicyLink Introduction 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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3 Why Equity Matters Now Introduction 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 peopleofcolor majority, equity has become an economic
imperative as well as a moral one. The way forward: an
equity-driven growth model. To secure Americas 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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4 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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5 Inequality is Bad for Sustained Economic Growth Introduction
Source: Andrew Berg & Jonathan Ostry, International Monetary
Fund
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6 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.
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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 theyre boys theyre 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 Obamas
Second Term, Mr. President Start Here. New York Times. January 23
rd 2013
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Thriving Neighborhoods = Thriving Children Struggling
neighborhoods = Struggling Children 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). Neighborhood
conditions and childhood development are intricately
intertwined
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Fair Housing, Place & Health
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10 Segregation is Bad for Economic Mobility Introduction
Detroit: 5.1%
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11 The Region is Growing Increasingly Diverse Context Percent
Change in People of Color by Census Block Group, 2000 to 2010
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12 Sprawl Continues to Exacerbate Regional Inequity Context
Average Travel Time to Work by Census Tract and High People of
Color Tracts, 2006-2010
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Typical Neighborhood Conditions for Various Racial Groups:
Detroit Metro Area (Source: Brown University)
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Neighborhood Opportunity Index: Detroit Metro Area (Source: The
Kirwan Institute) Supported by the Kresge Foundation
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Neighborhood Opportunity Index & Racial Isolation: Detroit
Metro Area (Source: The Kirwan Institute) Supported by the Kresge
Foundation
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16 Advance Fair Housing as an Economic Growth Strategy Moving
Forward 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
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Investing in People Asset & Wealth BuildingK 12 School
ReformMagnet SchoolsCivic & Youth EngagementMentoring &
Leadership Training Job Training & Labor Force Development
Reentry Programs for Ex Offenders Early Childhood Care &
Education Services Family Supportive Services Investing in Places
Vacant Land Redevelopment, Land Banking & Blight Removal
Community Land Trusts & Housing Stabilization Community
Development & Infrastructure Investments Coordinated Service
Delivery for Service Providers & Organizations Foreclosure
Prevention Small Business Development & Business Incubation
Community Health Investments & Fresh Food Initiatives Improving
Infrastructure and Open Space Community Crime Prevention &
Supporting Safescapes Supporting Linkages Assuring Housing Mobility
Through Regional Housing Strategies Supporting Fair Housing
Enforcement Supporting Inclusionary Housing Development Developing
Transit Infrastructure Pedestrian & Bicycle Infrastructure
Investments Supporting Strong Professional & Business Networks
Transit Oriented DevelopmentBus Rapid Transit Systems Developing
Regional Greenways & Non Motorized Paths People, Places and
Linkages: A Broader View of Fair Housing & Equity
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18 Fair Housing & Our Societys 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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19 Contact Information Danielle Bergstrom PolicyLink
[email protected] 510-663-4389 Jason Reece The Kirwan
Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity
[email protected]