Don't Turn Back the Clock: Building on Progress in Housing Justice
The past 15 years have seen significant progress in embedding racial equity into housing policies and programs. Yet, as housing and community development practitioners, we now face a pivotal moment. While recent pushback and the new administration threaten to erode these gains, Timothy Snyder's warning about authoritarianism offers timely guidance: "Do not obey in advance." The same applies to housing justice – we shouldn't preemptively abandon approaches that have shown real results.
Drawing from our work facilitating California's Statewide Housing Advocacy Committee, we've developed a framework to help practitioners navigate advancing racial equity in today's challenging environment. While developed for California, these insights offer valuable guidance for housing justice efforts nationwide.
Looking Back to Move Forward
When we talk about housing justice, there are typically two main approaches: reparative strategies that address historical harms and remedial approaches that tackle current discrimination and inequities.
Reparative approaches look to the past, documenting specific harms government policies inflicted on communities of color. For example, Evanston, Illinois, created a restorative housing program targeting Black residents who faced housing discrimination between 1919 and 1969. Another example is Washington state's Covenant Homeownership Program, which assists families harmed by racist housing restrictions before 1968.
But focusing solely on historical harms isn't enough. We also need strategies that address ongoing discrimination and inequities - what we might call the "remedy" approach. This includes strengthening fair housing enforcement, implementing tenant protections, and ensuring equitable access to affordable housing, among other strategies.
Reparative and remedial approaches are essential and work best when combined. This means acknowledging the deep roots of housing inequality - from Indigenous land dispossession to redlining to predatory lending - while also addressing ongoing discrimination, displacement, and inequity.
Making it Work: Four Dimensions of Housing Justice
Creating more equitable housing systems requires grappling with four key dimensions of housing justice. By examining each dimension, we can identify concrete ways to maintain progress despite current headwinds.
Defining your approach
First, be crystal clear about your theory of change. Are you working to transform the underlying system, increase access to existing housing, or both? While we should absolutely pursue bold, systemic changes to create a more just housing system, we can't dismiss the importance of smaller victories that improve people's lives today.
Portland's N/NE Housing Strategy succeeded because they clearly defined their goal - to address historical displacement through targeted housing access. They paired strong preference policies with dedicated funding and robust community engagement, resulting in 84% of beneficiaries being Black residents previously pushed out of the neighborhood.
Navigating Legal Realities
Recent court decisions have complicated race-conscious approaches, but practitioners have found effective workarounds by getting creative with legal frameworks. Beyond Special Purpose Credit Programs, successful strategies include using geographic targeting and designing universal programs while focusing implementation on underserved communities. Berkeley's Housing Preference Policy shows how careful program design can advance equity goals while maintaining legal compliance.
Working Through Institutions
Since housing remains largely private and unregulated, change requires innovative collaboration. We must think creatively about which institutions can advance equity - from community land trusts to mission-driven developers to innovative public-private partnerships. The success of Portland's N/NE Housing Strategy shows how public institutions can work effectively with communities to implement targeted solutions.
Making It Work on the Ground
Perhaps most importantly, we need to focus on implementation. The best-designed policies can fail if we ignore outreach, community engagement, and operational details. Washington State's Covenant Homeownership Program also shows promising institutional innovation - they're using Special Purpose Credit Programs in a new way through partnerships between state agencies, legal aid organizations, and banking institutions. Some tips on implementation:
Ensure adequate resources for outreach and engagement
Engage affected communities early and throughout
Build in accountability measures
Monitor outcomes and adjust as needed
Protecting Progress
As we face pushback against racial equity initiatives, it's critical that we:
Document and defend the gains we've made
Continue implementing promising practices that combine reparative and remedial approaches
Keep pushing for both systemic reforms and immediate solutions
The work of creating equitable housing systems isn't linear, and we've made hard-won progress in understanding how to create more equitable housing systems. While shifting tides may tend toward impeding momentum, we must stay vigilant. Now is not the time to turn back.