Gabriela Hamdieh - CCPPI Affordable Housing Reflection
When thinking of the American Dream, we think of hard working families getting what they deserve. We think of a typical middle class family that owns a house and lives in a good neighborhood, with a security and stability that is earned through hard work. In the present day, it’s hard not to think of that American Dream as a misleading one, as despite the efforts families put in for this dream to happen, forces beyond them often prevent them from achieving it.
The income and wealth gap in America continues to increase in concerning rates, as middle-income and low-income families face stagnating financial growth. All the while, much smaller populations of high-income families face exponential growth in increasing wealth1. Furthermore, this is also a story about race, as median wealth for white families is twelve times higher than that of black families in this country2.
In this conversation of inequality, housing ownership (and the lack of access to it) must be addressed as a significant factor of wealth building and financial stability. White upper-class families specifically predominate home ownership, with 73% of white households owning homes3. This has historically not been an option for people of color due to histories of redlining, which forced these families into areas of disinvestment and poverty due to an attempt to preserve quality homes and areas for white buyers, a process entirely legal until 19684. Despite housing racial segregation ending in law, a lack of effort to alleviate preset disadvantages have continued demographic and spatial patterns of racial and class-based inequality. It’s incredibly hard to break from century-long cycles of poverty and a lack of resources, just as it's easy to continue century-long cycles of generational wealth.
Redlining is important to look at especially in the context of Houston, as predominantly black neighborhoods in Houston are overrepresented in poverty, and black families have much lower rates in home ownership than are representative of Houston demographics5. In a city that is celebrated specifically for its diversity and inclusivity, this is especially disappointing.
This is why it's so important to have organizations on the ground supporting these families in building generational wealth for themselves and creating a true American Dream for historically disadvantaged communities. The Center for Civic and Public Policy Improvement (CCPPI) is essential in providing this opportunity in Southeast Houston, as they work in partnership with the Midtown Redevelopment Authority towards a mission of making affordable home ownership possible for families in low to middle income households. It’s work that I value incredibly, as many of those close to me have been dreaming of the opportunity to own their own house and have that for their families, even when financially, the chances of that seem slim. In my internship with CCPPI, I’ve been able to tour the units under development and see the American Dream being built for families I’ve lived alongside in my years at the University of Houston. One single-family unit means an opportunity to break generational cycles of disadvantage, and start a pattern of growth. The fact that there have been 187 single family units completed, and still 53 more under construction today with approximately 100 more expected to begin development next year, means hundreds of lives can be set on a different path.
My time at CCPPI may have been brief, but it has shown me what it means to create a legacy of opportunity in areas that have been wrongfully neglected for way too long. It takes kind, hard-working people to make this happen, and I’m grateful to see them create a true American Dream.
1 Kochhar, R., & Sechopoulos, S. (2022, April 20). How the American middle class has changed in the past five decades. Pew Research Center. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/04/20/how-the-american-middle-class-has-changed-in-the
-past-five-decades/
2 Jones, J. (2017, February 13). How African-Americans have been shortchanged out of the materials to build wealth. The racial wealth gap. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from
https://www.epi.org/blog/the-racial-wealth-gap-how-african-americans-have-been-shortchanged-out-of-the
-materials-to-build-wealth/
3 Summers, J., Scott, B., & Troop, W. (2023, January 4). How buying a home became a key way to build wealth in America. NPR. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.npr.org/2023/01/04/1146960942/how-buying-a-home-became-a-key-way-to-build-wealth-in-a merica
4 Lathan, N. (2023, September 20). Discriminatory lending practice continues to have serious effects. 50
years after being outlawed, redlining still drives neighborhood health inequities. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from
https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/news-media/research-highlights/50-years-after-being-outlawed-redlining- still-drives-neighborhood-health-inequities
5 Understanding Houston. (2021, February 10). Exploring the Legacy of Redlining in Houston. Understanding Houston. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.understandinghouston.org/blog/legacy-of-redlining-in-houston
AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING FAIR HOUSING RULE - RULE CHANGE POLICY BRIEF
By: Jordan Everett, Center for Civic and Public Policy Improvement Intern
University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work - MSW candidate
