Dismantling Structural Racism and Improving Social and Economic Mobility
/As part of our efforts to dismantle structural racism and improve social and economic mobility for Black and Latinx residents of Greater Hartford, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving seeks to increase the number of Hartford residents living in higher opportunity neighborhoods. Higher opportunity neighborhoods are defined by a variety of factors, including low unemployment, better performing schools, lower crime and greater availability of quality, affordable housing stock.
The Hartford Foundation seeks to increase the numbers of Hartford residents living in higher opportunity neighborhoods both by increasing the opportunities in Hartford neighborhoods and by increasing the ability of Hartford residents to choose to move to other higher opportunity areas throughout the Greater Hartford region.
In order to support these outcomes, the Foundation invests in efforts designed to increase the stability, availability, and quality of affordable housing in the Greater Hartford region; align and leverage additional investment in Hartford neighborhoods, and increase social strength and connectedness of Hartford neighborhoods. COVID has reinforced the need for all of us to live in safe, stable homes, in safe, stable neighborhoods, in safe, stable communities.
Public commitment must address the interplay of basic human needs, including access to food, mental and physical health care services, housing and other needs, and provide adequate support to the nonprofit organizations providing these services.
Connecticut is one of the most racially and economically segregated states in the country
Connecticut is one of the most racially and economically segregated states in the country with 74 percent of Black residents and 68 percent of Latinx residents living in census tracts assessed as low opportunity areas. Exclusionary zoning practices have fostered this segregation for decades which has devastating consequences on residents, communities, and our state’s economy.
We know that the vast majority of deed restricted affordable housing, as well as naturally occurring affordable housing (such as multi-family homes and apartment buildings) are concentrated in urban areas such as Hartford. This segregation of housing results in concentration of poverty, primarily impacting Black and Latinx communities. The Hartford Foundation offers its support for efforts to generate diverse housing, including more affordable housing, in higher opportunity areas throughout the state, providing residents with more choices about where they wish to live.
Hartford residents that wish to move to neighboring communities, do not often get that choice.
Hartford residents that wish to move to neighboring communities, do not often get that choice. In 2019 the Hartford Foundation provided a grant to support residents in Clay Arsenal Apartments, Barber Gardens, and Infill in Hartford, who wanted to move to areas of opportunity. All three complexes had their contracts with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development terminated due to conditions that threatened residents' health and safety.
The Foundation awarded grants to the Center for Leadership and Justice and Open Communities Alliance who worked with tenants to provide leadership training, legal assistance, and technical advice to navigate the complex housing situation and relocation process. Of the 150 Clay Arsenal families who were relocated, 61 percent wanted to move to Hartford suburbs such as West Hartford, Glastonbury, and Windsor. However, the timing of the relocation process and lack of affordable housing options in communities outside of Hartford meant that most families relocated to housing in the same, or similar, neighborhoods.
The state has enabled municipalities to regulate certain land use through zoning. These bills provide some much-needed clarity around the importance of creating more lower-cost housing options throughout the state and expand individual’s rights to determine how to use their property. These proposals represent positive steps forward in the effort to increase the economic, ethnic and racial diversity of our communities by promoting the development of affordable housing stock in a variety of municipalities.
The Foundation looks forward to continuing its work with policymakers, nonprofits and residents to develop effective long-term policies to ensure that all Connecticut families have access to quality, affordable housing in higher opportunity neighborhoods.
This is an excerpt of testimony provided to the state legislature in March by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region. The full version, available here, outlines specific positions and suggestions on a half-dozen bills being considered by the legislature. As a community foundation, the Hartford Foundation manages approximately $1 billion in assets, in 2020, and distributed a record-breaking $52 million in grants to promote equitable opportunity for all residents in the region. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $837 million since its founding in 1925.
