Housing Justice
Housing Justice Future
Desegregation
Government at all levels must work with the people to integrate America. Historically, integration has forced people and neighborhoods of color to assimilate to white society, destroying communities of color. Leaders must instead, focus on incentivizing diversification of all communities. Government funds dedicated to mortgage assistance and equitable community development must be made available. Providing this money kickstarts a system of improvement that naturally desegregates neighborhoods.
Universal Housing Vouchers
Housing Vouchers have been around since the 1970s, but never have been properly implemented. The program needs to be fixed, both for tenants and landlords. Politicians must start by fully funding the program so that all those eligible can receive a voucher. Then we must crack down on discriminatory landlords using incentives and enforcement to ensure vouchers are accepted nationwide. Vouchers are a valuable idea but they need to work for everyone.
Housing Development
Affordable housing must allow residents to benefit from the value appreciation of their property. Policies must be geared towards incentivizing homeownership, rather than renting. Every community in America must have affordable housing options that allow for comfortable living and wealth building.
Rent Control
Rent Control can ensure sustainable renting for those who cannot afford homeownership. While they occupy their apartment, they have the security of knowing that they will not face rent hikes. This prevents landlords from exploiting vulnerable residents. Rent control must be expanded to as many buildings as possible. Not everyone is going to be able to buy a house right away, there must be an affordable option for those who are not ready to own a home.
Housing is a Human Right
When you are denied housing, your human rights are violated. Apart from passing a law that provides all Americans with housing, it is hard to legislatively make this right a reality. For now, governments must provide the homeless with proper resources to assist in finding permanent housing. Each homeless individual must be assigned to a social worker that helps them overcome their personal barriers to housing. While we work towards universal housing, we cannot forget about those who are currently homeless.
Housing Failures
Segregation
Through a system called redlining, governments worked with banks and realtors to create segregated neighborhoods. Cities, although diverse, were segregated, leaving entire neighborhoods without economic prospects. Suburbs were created for White families who didn’t want to live around people of color. They received financial assistance from the federal government to move to these new suburbs. People of color were not provided any federal financial assistance. To this day, we have not realized an integrated America.
Weak Leadership
Laws in support of integration and equal homeownership have been in place for over five decades. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 should have eliminated segregation, but weak enforcement by the federal government has entrenched segregation. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has the authority to take any action it deems necessary to eliminate segregation, and yet this power has never been used to fully integrate the United States.
Building Wealth
For the average citizen, a home is their most valuable asset, functioning as a foundation on which to build wealth. Government action that does not dismantle barriers to homeownership serves to uphold poverty in minority communities. People of color must be provided a path to buying their own home in a neighborhood of their choosing. Any other action preserves the cycle of poverty created by redlining and segregation.
Affordable housing
White families who were provided financial assistance to purchase suburban housing have seen their houses appreciate in value in the decades since. This housing equity has been passed down from parent to child, allowing new white generations a headstart on wealth building compared to people of color. Today’s affordable housing policies do not provide this same wealth building opportunity. Providing a warm place to live is a good start, but it is a bandaid, not a true solution to the disparity in homeownership between whites and people of color.