Sign ERASE Racism’s Petition Calling for Housing Integration

A September 6th, 2015 New York Times editorial titled, “The Architecture of Segregation,” observed that, almost 50 years after the federal Fair Housing Act was enacted, “minorities find themselves trapped in high poverty neighborhoods without decent housing, schools or jobs, and with few avenues of escape”  because, in part, “federally subsidized housing for low-income citizens … is disproportionately built in poor areas….”  This pattern of confining low-income residents to communities with significant minority populations – like Huntington Station – while denying them a chance to live in ” high opportunity” communities – like Dix Hills –  has been encouraged by programs such as New York State’s administration of the Federal Low  Income Housing Tax Credits program.  According to ERASE Racism, “families living in ‘affordable housing’ subsidized by Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) are excluded from opportunity and  have to accept failing schools, high concentrations of poverty and racial segregation.  This is because New York State’s scoring system that is used to determine which projects will be funded, places scant emphasis on projects that are located in high-opportunity neighborhoods.”  To counter this policy, HTHC supports ERASE Racism’s petition calling on New York State to grant LIHTC subsidies for affordable housing in high opportunity neighborhoods.  Please sign  the petition at: http://www.eraseracismny.org/get-involved/sign-a-petition