Category Archives: Research
New protections will reduce discrimination against LGBT Virginians
Where you live makes all the difference, and artificial barriers to housing choice can seriously hurt the quality of life for Virginians. Housing discrimination doesn’t just hinder access to homes and neighborhoods; it prevents families from accessing quality education, employment, transportation, and health care available in those neighborhoods.
As noted previously, federal and state fair housing laws prohibit housing discrimination in Virginia on the basis of:
- race
- color
- national origin
- religion
- gender
- familial status
- disability
- elderliness
Notably absent in both the Virginia and federal fair housing laws are protections for sexual orientation and gender identity.
Richmond Fed on Inequality in the U.S.
This past March Regional Economist R. Andrew Bauer presented on behalf of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond at the Greater Baltimore Committee LEADERship Program. The presentation was titled “A Look at Inequality in the United States.” Bauer presented findings showing that income inequality is a longstanding and continuing problem in the United States.
Neighborhoods matter when raising children
Where you live makes all the difference. This is especially true when it comes to children. In a recent article examining the results of new census information, the National Low Income Housing Coalition revealed an alarming increase in the number of children living in high poverty, low opportunity areas. The findings were highlighted in the Annie B. Casey Foundation’s 2012 Kids Count Data Snapshot, which relied on census data from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey.
The new data revealed a steady uphill trend where children are increasingly likely to live in high-poverty areas. In 2000, approximately 9% of children lived in high poverty areas. Between 2006 and 2010, that percentage rose to 11% – an increase of about 1.6 million children. This is after a steady decline of children living in high poverty areas between 1990 and 2000.
Neighborhoods of Opportunity vs. Concentrated Poverty
Poverty is closely linked to housing, not just because of the high cost, but because where you live makes all the difference. Living in a neighborhood of opportunity means having access to resources that help build a better life. Examples include things like good schools, good jobs, transportation, and resources such as libraries and parks. Everyone wants to live and raise their families in such neighborhoods. Unfortunately, many low income Virginians grow up in neighborhoods of poverty: neighborhoods without good schools, few jobs, little to no public resources and probably a substantial criminal presence in the area. Families trying to break out of the cycle of poverty already have the deck stacked against them. That’s why reducing poverty means increasing neighborhoods of opportunity and decreasing concentrations of poverty. Below is my summary and discussion of a report entitled “The Re-Emergence of Concentrated Poverty” from the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings.
NEW RESEARCH: 2011 Virginia Housing Snapshot
Every year HOME’s Center for Housing Leadership releases the Virginia Housing Snapshot. Authored by Brian Koziol, HOME’s Housing Policy & Research Analyst, the Snapshot is a compilation of important housing data from across the Commonwealth measuring affordability, home ownership, income, mortgage lending, foreclosures and housing discrimination.
Below are some important highlights from HOME’s 2011 Virginia Housing Snapshot:
10 Must Know Facts About Housing in Virginia
Our friends at Housing Virginia have compiled a brilliant list of ten facts you should know about Housing in Virginia in 2011. I am listing them below:
10. The rate of homeownership in Virginia continues to decline. The home ownership rate in Virginia peaked in 2006 at just under 70%. Since then, it has been in decline, dropping more than 3% by 2010. At the start of 2011, the rate stands at 67.7%, the lowest rate in a decade. As home ownership declines, demand for rental housing grows.
9. Declining home values the past four years have resulted in record numbers of Virginia homeowners who are “underwater.” Their home is now worth less than the amount that they owe on their mortgage. In 2011 over 291,000 homes in Virginia were underwater – over 23% of all mortgages. Another 76,000 were “near” negative (within 5% of value) – bringing the total to almost 30% of Virginia’s mortgages.
