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B. Our Housing situation and its influence on youth
Our Urban Communities are uniformly composed of two economically
diverse sectors. One group are homeowners who live there, are
part of the civic leagues and have a feeling of community
commitment, and the other group are property renters, who are
somewhat transient, and who’s children don’t feel empowered by
multiple housing and schools attended. Over the last 15 years
the renters in neighborhoods near Housing Authority sites, have
slowing taken over the majority of homes and those unmonitored
houses are routinely falling into disrepair, forcing down
property values. The result is the loss of a predominately
homeowner community which was an economic stabilizing factor to
the general community, which is also made up of Churches,
Schools and businesses.
In addition, the Government Housing Authorities in this region
are in various states of availability, to include: bull dozing
the housing projects and for the last 5-6 years this population
has found a back log for new applicants, as well as a shrinking
affordable public housing. These families are being redirected
to local section 8 housing in neighborhoods near the previous
housing authority sites.
These Section 8 housing areas are predominantly in the
neighborhoods where our networks of service providers are
located, and where our targeted youth population reside. We are
visually aware of the family situation first hand, as our
clothing closets, food pantries. Our after school programs,
weekend camps, and various support services, have been
challenged by the influx.
Much of the flow of single parent families from the housing
authorities groups, have generational poverty ear marks, and
have also experienced much crime in their families as people
tend to panic when faced with hunger. In these section 8
neighborhoods, ‘homeowners’ noted the resale activity of
property wasn’t flowing at the same rate as other parts of the
city, however there had been a clear escalation of crime related
activity.
It is noted that the housing market in our area has exploded,
and yet these pockets have not been significantly touched with
'new' home owners, as many families who can afford to buy a
house,
are choosing to look for higher priced housing, with schools
that are not in these neighborhoods. This has fueled the
‘flight’ for home owners who were previously committed to stay
and see the area change. With the further loss of that
population, the area’s youth have little feeling of belonging
and have seemed to further loose heart. In some of these
neighborhoods, youth crime is up 40% in the past 3 years, alone.
We learned that more Police, weren’t the answer, and ‘we’ must
take responsibility and be personally involved to influence the
long term change of our community.
These shrinking multiple housing developments have began being
replaced with newly built family dwellings, which have now
emerged and becoming available to repopulate. The Virginia
Cities housing Authorities have began to focus their efforts to
repopulate these single family dwellings, on the families who
left these sites.
In order to qualify for housing, a family would need good
credit, ‘some’ saving, a history of a secure employment, and a
reasonable plan to stick in a area long term. Along with a
national financial institution, GXG has partnered with Norfolk
Housing and Redevelopment youth Department, to provide a
workshop on financial literacy that gave real solid building
blocks, and tools to help families obtain housing. We know what
it takes to get and keep a house, and this populations core
challenges.
THESE multiple compounding factors can further destabilize
feelings of ‘community’ and belonging for those already involved
in generational poverty. |
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