Letter from the Executive Director:
Is housing policy part of the problem?
|
“America has broken my heart too many times,” responded the Mayor of Kansas City, Quinton Lucas, when asked this past weekend if he was hopeful that a year from now the country might actually be in a different place with regards to racial equity. Mayor Lucas reminded me that my initial reaction to the murder of George Floyd is familiar to what I felt nearly 30 years ago, following the Rodney King beating, and subsequent LA riots when the officers were acquitted. He said, “…I think I even asked my mom, like, how does that happen?” But while I too remember questioning how something like that happened, I also remember knowing that it was an act fueled by racism. And yet, I don’t recall the tragedy affecting my behaviors or actions, or those of anyone around me. In time, Rodney King became just another footnote, filed away, in the lessons that have formed my thoughts on race in America.
As a 12-year-old, I didn’t need to know
how
something happened, to understand that it was plainly wrong. Had I learned anything at the time about Rodney King or what lead to his encounter with police, though, I’m not sure I would have had the words or experience yet to know that the deeper “how” was because of a foundation of white supremacy that has created systemic racism in our country.
If you disagree – if you think the Rodney King beating, the murder of George Floyd, or the thousands of abuses and deaths of black and brown lives in the 30 years in between is just about injustice in policing, or isolated incidences resulting from racist “bad apples” and not racist systems – or you simply need more evidence, look no further than
housing and housing policy in this country
. Over the last century, in particular, housing issues and policies have arguably been the greatest system of oppression and contributor to the racial inequity that exists today. You don’t have to look any further than our own region to see largely racially segregated neighborhoods, a stark reminder of the vestiges of redlining. The
systems
of inequity don’t belong only to the past, they are in full operation today. Our own conversations around affordable housing, with an emphasis on rental units, and the way we allocate housing dollars are a strong example.
As important as more housing dollars are, when our housing priorities are not adequately advancing Black and minority-owned homeownership and homeownership preservation,
along with
more affordable housing, we are perpetuating racial inequity through our
housing system
. The Seattle Housing Levy that I and many of us support, for instance, appropriates around just 3% ($9.5M out of $290M) to homeownership programs. Homeownership and education – itself partly a product of the property taxes generated from homeownership – are two of the primary vehicles of wealth creation for American families, and by extension, better quality of life outcomes. Yet, Black and minority families continue to be denied the same quality of access and opportunity to these vehicles that can help close the wealth gap. African-American homeownership in Seattle, for example, has fallen from 40% in 2000 to less than 20% today, and nationwide, African-American homeownership rates are below the levels they were at prior to the Fair Housing Act, passed to address racial disparities in housing, in 1968!
It is hard for us not to look at the recent tragedies and question just how far we’ve come in the last 30 years, and indeed much longer. But in that questioning, I have to ask what my own role has been in systems of inequity. The sharp accuracy of Dr. King’s “
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
,” in which he criticizes the “white moderate” as being the barrier to freedom and justice for African-Americans, is perhaps as disheartening as the slow progress toward justice in this country.
While I might be able to forgive my 12-year-old self for inaction following the Rodney King beating, I cannot allow myself, or Rebuilding Together Seattle – which is largely supported by white volunteers and run by mostly white leadership – to be the “white moderate” that Dr. King describes. Our focus in the Central District announced last year during our Building a Healthy Neighborhood initiative, and our quiet joining of the Housing Development Consortium’s Race, Equity, and Inclusion learning cohort, are examples of recent steps that we have made to improving racial equity in our programs and across our organization. But they are small steps in the many Rebuilding Together has still to take in order to help bring about the individual, cultural, and structural changes required to dismantle systemic racism.
If we ever expect to realize our vision of safe homes and communities for everyone, Rebuilding Together has to do more and be better at putting racial equity at the center of our work – our neighbors, especially those of color, and you, our supporters, deserve that. I hope you will join us in both the conversations and actions that we need to repair, revitalize, and rebuild!
[Re]fectively,
|
|
Caleb Marshall, Executive Director
|
|
Over the past few months, in the face of COVID-19, Rebuilding Together Seattle has significantly scaled back our work to mainly outdoor projects and high-priority emergency repairs. However, we know that just because we have temporarily limited our services that does not mean the need for them has also diminished, quite the opposite in fact. We are eager to return to helping our neighbors and wish to do so in a way that keeps everyone as safe and healthy as possible.
Rebuilding Together Seattle has created COVID-19 specific safety protocols which are based on information from the national Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Washington state’s phased re-opening plan. These new protocols include conducting pre-project screening for COVID-19 symptoms, and wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and maintaining social distancing while on the project site. Detailed safety protocols will be provided to volunteers and homeowners in advance of projects and we expect everyone participating to follow them closely. We all need to work together to keep ourselves and our neighbors healthy so that we can continue our mission of repairing homes, revitalizing communities, and rebuilding lives.
|
|
Rebuilding Together Seattle’s vision for the future is “Safe homes and communities for everyone.” “Everyone” means literally EVERYONE, and we understand that our vision cannot become a reality unless we address the systemic racism and history of unjust practices that have led to extremely wide racial disparities in many areas of our society, including housing and homeownership.
What do we mean when say “systemic racism”? This 5-minute cartoon will give you a brief overview and general introduction:
|
|
How has systemic racism affected housing and homeownership specifically? This 18-minute video provides a historical context for several unjust housing practices and their negative impact:
|
|
This article from The Seattle Times
showcases how unjust housing policy has affected our very own Central District and provides insight from a resident there who was directly affected by redlining.
Achieving the vision of safe homes and communities for everyone is not something any of us can do alone, we must all do our part. We encourage you to research, reflect, and take action(s) so we can rebuild our society in ways that are beneficial for ALL members of our communities, especially those who have been marginalized and discriminated against.
|
|
Homeowner & Volunteer Spotlight
|
|
Homeowner Albert
lives in the Central District and inherited his 1922 home from his parents about 30 years ago.
He previously received repairs from RTS in 2016, and more recently found himself in need of emergency electrical work to keep his house safer for both himself and his family members, including his grandchildren who often visit. Fortunately, amazing RTS volunteer Deb came to the rescue! Deb owns Veritas Electric, a Seattle-based, women-run electrical contractor, and regularly volunteers her time to provide repairs with Rebuilding Together Seattle. Deb, her apprentice Monika, and RTS staff member Karly teamed up to install lighting for increased visibility, install ceiling fans for keeping things cool in warmer weather, and address several trip hazards and fire risks.
|
|
Karly shared the following about the experience:
"Albert was a pleasure to visit with and welcoming to us even while we made a mess (which we did clean up!). He even helped us a little each day by carrying tools to the truck or vacuuming up after us. He (and dog KK) sat with us outside while we ate our lunches and we had conversations about what’s going on right now, and he shared stories of his time on a NOAA ship in Alaska. Being charged by a moose and getting awfully close to some grizzlies fresh out of hibernation! It was a joy to have his granddaughter and daughter visit to see the bright improvement. By getting rid of a few fire and tripping hazards, Albert’s house is much safer for himself and his family. I know he is so grateful to Deb (and Monika and me) for working on his electric. I am so thankful to Deb for volunteering her time, resources, and expertise to Albert, and for her leadership while I was helping out. I am thankful to Albert for opening his home to us and look forward to continuing our work with him and his family home."
|
|
Our work on Albert's home isn't finished yet; there are also some plumbing issues that create health and safety concerns. These concerns are heightened by COVID-19 and we are hoping to address them for him very soon. However, estimates for the plumbing repairs, which will need to be handled by professional plumbers due to their nature and extent, put the cost at around $15,000. This is beyond our typical budget for a single home, but we are hopeful that we can raise the funds to be able to complete these repairs for him. If you would like to sponsor or contribute to funding this project, please contact RTS Development Manager Kim Huebner at
khuebner@rtseattle.org
.
|
|
Thank You to our Funding Partners!
|
|
We would like to thank the following businesses for continuing their support for Rebuilding Together Seattle even though projects they were scheduled to sponsor for National Rebuilding Month in April were postponed due to COVID-19. We appreciate their flexibility and their commitment to providing safe and healthy homes for neighbors in need, especially during these challenging times.
|
|
We would also like to extend an additional thank you to those whose support for our virtual Stay at Home Breakfast was received after our "wrap up" email went out, including:
- Wright Runstad & Company
- Longtime supporters Pete and Karen
Altogether, the Stay At Home Breakfast raised $13,375 for our Safe At Home program! Thank you to everyone who contributed!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
