As the nation grapples with the most devastating public health crisis of the last 100 years, millions of Americans also face an immense economic and housing crisis. But what we are seeing is not new. Covid-19 has laid bare the deep structural inequities that have long been embedded in our nation’s housing systems. For example, redlining and housing discrimination outlawed over half a century ago baked racial disparities into our housing landscape, and today’s housing policies do little to reverse those inequities. In fact, many of today’s policies continue to reinforce deep patterns of racial segregation. To address the racialized housing challenges facing us as a nation, we cannot leave it to “market forces” to dictate where people can live, how much they’ll pay, and if they can access opportunity. Instead, we must be willing to do the work to ensure safe,
healthy, and affordable housing for everyone.
PolicyLink is releasing two new reports to inform, refocus, and help to prioritize housing policy dialogues in two key jurisdictions: the city of Philadelphia and the state of California. Too many housing reform initiatives have failed to acknowledge the ways that racially biased policymaking has contributed to the current housing crisis and, as a result, have perpetuated the racialized outcomes that limit health and opportunity for households of color.
To better understand how we create a housing future that works for all people, these reports examine the racialized history of the housing systems in each jurisdiction and present a housing justice agenda that increases housing stability and mitigates the threat of displacement for low-income people and people of color, preserves and expands permanently affordable and community-controlled housing, and increases access to neighborhoods of opportunity.
Want to learn more about housing justice? Register for our webinar "Facing History to Advance Housing Justice," on Wednesday, October 28 at 9 am PT/ 12 pm ET, to hear from housing justice leaders working in California, Philadelphia, and at the national level to improve housing outcomes for low-income people and people of color.