News Roundup

  • Black Homeowners Are Twice as Likely to Lose Homes and Return to Renting as White Homeowners
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    A new report from researchers at Dartmouth College finds that Black homeowners face twice the risk of losing their homes as white homeowners. This is likely because their extended families lack sufficient wealth to help with their mortgage obligations. Generations of discriminatory policies and practices have blocked wealth building among Black families. These inequities are particularly concerning as more and more Americans face foreclosure or eviction during the pandemic. “Any kind of policies that can be designed around sustaining homeownership will benefit everybody, but particularly Black and brown people who are more at risk,” stated Gregory Sharp, a coauthor of the report.

  • Why Are Health Care Systems Building Grocery Stores?
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    Health care systems are building and operating grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods, where supermarkets are less likely to be located. These community-based grocery stores are providing access to healthy foods while stimulating the local economy, strengthening local community partnerships, and promoting holistic health. “If residents start to feel that the neighborhood is changing and getting attention, you can imagine how that might make them feel more hopeful, giving them the mental space to make better choices about their diet when things are improving around them,” said Andrea Richardson, a researcher at RAND.
  • Three Years after Hurricane Harvey, Houston Homeowners Still Haven’t Received Housing Relief
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    Houston homeowners affected by Hurricane Harvey are growing frustrated as they struggle to receive reliable information about the government housing relief they were promised. The disaster recovery funds initially released to the City of Houston are now being transferred to the Texas General Land Office because of slow recovery efforts, despite an ongoing lawsuit. “They prioritized the political potential of winning that lawsuit over the housing stability of those families,” stated Ben Hirsch, an organizer and policy advocate for disaster recovery organization West Street Recovery.

  • Federal Prison under Fire for Disregarding COVID-19 Housing Guidelines
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    A Louisiana federal prison is facing scrutiny after failing to comply with federal health guidelines. The US Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General reported that the prison left residents in their housing units for a week without being isolated and without protective gear. Across the country, 182,776 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in state and federal prisons, and 140 have died in federal prisons.