How Trump’s Nassau County Foot Soldiers Build Them, and How Black and Latino Communities Can Tear Them Down
FiftyyearsafterthepassageoftheFairHousingAct,segregationonLongIslandisasbadas ever Theareaisbecomingmorediverse,yetitremainsoneofthemostsegregatedsuburban regionsintheentirecountry
PresidentTrumpispromisingdrasticcutstotheHousingandUrbanDevelopment(HUD) budget.HehasnominatedDr.BenCarsonasHUDSecretarywhoisskepticalofthevalueoffair housingregulationsandwhooncesaidthatitwasreminiscentofwhatyouseein“communist countries.”Trumphasbuilthispoliticalbrandbyenflamingracialanimosityagainstpeopleof color,andhasusedhisfirstweeksinofficetoenactracistexecutiveorderstargetingimmigrants basedontheirreligion.
Itismoreimportantthaneverthatlocalgovernmentsstandupandfightbackforstrongand diversecommunitiesthatdonotdenyopportunitiesandservicestofamiliesbasedontheirrace, ethnicityorreligiousbeliefs.Butdespiteadecade-longfightbyhousingadvocatestobring affordablehousingtoGardenCityandotherhigh-opportunitycommunitiesinNassauCounty, CountyExecutiveEdManganoandtheRepublicanCountyLegislaturehavefailedtoaddressthe issueinanymeaningfulway.Infact,Trump’sLongIslandfootsoldiershavebeenmaking segregationworsethroughtheirpoliciesandlackofenforcementoffairhousingandothercivil rightslaws,erectinginvisiblewallsonborderstoseparateLongIslandcommunitiesjustas TrumpisbuildingawallontheMexicanborder
NassauRepublicanshaveunilaterallygovernedforthelastsevenyears,andinthattimehave failedtoaddressillegaldiscriminationactsandzoningregulations,allwhilemisusingfederal andcountyfundstopromotesegregation.ThesearepoliciesstraightoutoftheTrumpplaybook, whomthefederalgovernmentsuedforhousingdiscriminationin1973.
Asunbelievableasitmayseemtosome,thehousingcrisisonLongIslandisworsethanitisin NewYorkCity.57%offamiliesarerentburdened,anddespiteatoutedeconomic“recovery,” foreclosuresarestilldevastatinglow-incomecommunitiesandcommunitiesofcolorthroughout LongIsland.
Asawhole,theLongIslandhousingcrisisissubstantiallyworseforfamiliesofcolor According tothe2015AmericanCommunitySurvey,27%ofWhitehouseholdsmakelessthan$60,000 annually,comparedto35%ofBlackhouseholdsand42%ofLatinohouseholds.
Thiscrisishasbeenexacerbatedashousingpricesareforcingmorefamiliesofcolortorelocate fromtheircommunities.ButtheLongIslandsuburbs,likemanysuburbsthroughoutthecountry, arehistoricallyandnotoriouslydiscriminatory,andtheresultingsegregationhashadnumerous negativeeffectsonthelivesofpeopleofcolor
Insteadoffightingtoalleviatethiscrisis,NassauCountyRepublicanshaveactuallymade segregationinNassauCountyworseinthreekeyways:
One:FailuretoStopBlatantDiscriminationandRacialSteering
84%offederalSection8“housingchoicevoucher”(HCV)holdersarepeopleofcolor.But acrossNassauCounty,voucherholdersstruggletofindlandlordswhowillacceptthevoucher rent.InNassauCounty,threeprominentlandlordsrecentlysettledwiththeNewYorkState AttorneyGeneralonclaimsthattheypersistentlyviolatedlocalcivilrightslawsbyturningdown Section8voucherholderswhowereseekingapartments.1
WhileNewYorkCityandSuffolkCountyhavebothpassedstrongersourceofincome discriminationlaws,ManganoandRepublicansintheNassauCountyLegislaturehaveremained silent.
Two:ZoningLawsthatBlockHousingforFamiliesofColor
InGardenCity,UpperBrookville,andmanyotherlocalities,zoningregulationsseverelylimit thedevelopmentofmultifamilyhousing.Insteadofproactivelyinvestigatingthisproblemand takingactionsagainsttownsandvillagesthatdonotbroadentheirzoningcodestoincludesome multifamilyhousing,NassauCountyknowinglyignorestheracistzoninglawsthatmayviolate thefederalFairHousingActandtheNewYorkStateConstitution.
Three:GrossmisuseoftaxpayerdollarstosubsidizeprojectsinWhiteneighborhoodsthat onlyperpetuatesegregation
NassauCountyfundssubsidizedhousingintwoways:bydistributingfederalfundsasdirect subsidiesthroughits“urbanconsortium”andthroughtheNassauCountyIndustrialDevelopment Agency(NCIDA)thatprovidestaxsubsidiestoencourageeconomicdevelopment.(Other moneyforaffordablehousingdevelopmentisprovidedthroughNewYorkStateandmunicipal publichousingauthorities.)
Nassaureceivesmorethan$16millionannuallyinfederalsubsidiesthatarenotusedefficiently oreffectively–andwhichtheCountyhasarguablymisappropriated.Forexample,1,740unitsof low-incomehousinginNassauCountywilllosetheiraffordabilityprotectionsbefore2020. Mangano’sgovernmentpromisestobuildjust115unitsinthissametimeperiod.Ratherthan proactivelycreatingnewhousingtofillthepotentialgaporevendevisingwaystopreservewhat isalreadythere,Mangano’spoliciescouldleadtoanetlossof1,635unitsoflow-income housingoverthenextfouryears.
Atthesametime,Mangano(oneofthefirstLongIslandRepublicanstoendorseTrump)isusing theNassauCountyIDAtoselloffscarcepubliclandandmeteoutvaluablerealestatetax benefitstofor-profitdevelopers.Thehousingthatisbuiltwiththispublicgiveawayisnot
http://www.ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneiderman-announces-settlements-three-real-estate-companies-unlawful-h ousing
affordabletorentersofcolorinNassauCounty,whoseincomeissignificantlylowerthanthatof thecountyoverall.
ItispossibleforNassauCountytotakedeliberate,intentionalstepstoreducesegregation.There aretoolsthatthecountyhasavailabletobuildincome-tieredaffordablehousingin high-opportunityareasandenforcementproceduresthatcouldsignificantlylessendiscriminatory zoningpoliciesandtenantsteering.Resourcescanandshouldbestrategicallytargetedto promoteintegration.
Inthelastsevenyears,NassauCountyRepublicanshaveconsistentlyfailedtoaddress segregation.Instead,theyhavebuiltinvisiblewallsthatprotectresidentialdemographicpatterns establishedthroughdecadesofpublicpolicybasedinWhitesupremacy Thisdoesnothavetobe thefutureinNassau,butitwilltakepoliticalwilltoenddiscriminationandcreateacounty wheretherearejustopportunitiesforallresidents.
Introduction
Nearly50yearsaftertheFairHousingActmadehousingdiscriminationillegal,Long Islandsuburbsarehighlysegregatedwithanepidemic-levelhousingcrisisthat disproportionatelyaffectspeopleofcolor.
SegregationonLongIslandisincreasingevenastheregionbecomesmorediverse. As 2 gentrificationdriveslow-incomepeopleofcoloroutoftheirneighborhoods,theyarestuckwith fewifanyhousingoptions.InNassauCounty,inparticular,theBlackpopulationisgrowing,but itsgrowthisconcentratedinareaswithfewwhiteresidents.3
Fromdeed-restrictedhousingtoredliningtothesubprimelendingcrisis,discriminationhasbeen bothanimplicitandattimesexplicitpartofpublicpolicyandprivatemarketpracticesonLong Islandfordecades.Inthe1920s,somehistoriansestimatethatoneinsevenLongIslanderswere membersoftheKKK. OneofNassauCounty’sfirstsuburbancommunities,Levittown,was 4 builtwithracialcovenantsthatexcludedBlackfamilies.Andin2014,theCivilRightsProjectat theUniversityofCaliforniaLosAngelesdescribedLongIslandas“oneofthemostsegregated andfragmentedsuburbanringsinthecounty.”5
https://civilrightsprojectuclaedu/research/k-12-education/integration-and-diversity/ny-norflet-report-placeholder/Lo ngIsland NY CBSA intrastate tables 2014 March21 .pdf; http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/01/the-state-of-segregation-in-the-suburbs/453987/; http://eraseracismny.org/storage/documents/ERASE Racism 2015 Education Equity Report final web.pdf
3 BrianResnickandStephanieStamm, The State of Segregation in the Suburbs,theAtlantic,January7,2015, retrievedfromwwwtheatlanticcom/politics/archive/2015/01/the-state-of-segregation-in-the-suburbs/453987/
4 WNYCStateofAnxiety
5 UCLACivilRightsProject, New York Schools Most Segregated in the Nation, March26,2014,retrievedfrom https://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/news/press-releases/2014-press-releases/new-york-schools-most-segregated-in-the -nation.
Segregationcanhaveavastandlong-lastingimpactonresidents.Itislinkedtoworseeducation outcomesandworsesocioeconomicstatusforBlackandLatinohouseholds. Thesedifferences 6 holdtrueregardlessofhouseholdincome.7
Discriminationinthehousingmarketleavesfamiliesofcolorwithlimitedhousingoptionsand comparativelyunderfundedschools.Thereisanincreasingbodyofevidencethatrevealshow poorfamilieslivinginsegregatedsuburbancommunitieshavenosocialsafetynet. Segregation 8 trapsfamiliesofcolorinpoverty
SegregationiscompoundinganalreadydirehousingcrisisinNassauCounty
ThoughNassau’sCounty’smedianincomeis$101,830, themedianincomeforWhite, 9 non-Hispanichouseholdsishigher:$107,102.Conversely,themedianincomeforBlack householdsisjust$84,080,andthemedianincomeforHispanic,non-Whitehouseholdsis $77,240.10
Accordingtoananalysisof2015AmericanCommunitySurveydata,peopleofcolorarenearly twiceaslikelytorenttheirhomescomparedtoWhitehouseholds. Themedianincomefor 11 renterhouseholdsisshockinglylowerthanthemedianincomeforhomeownerhouseholds: around$53,556. AndintheVillageofHempstead, where88%ofthepopulationispeopleof 12 color,themedianrenterincomeisevenlowerstill--$33,560.13
Just4%ofLongIsland’shousingstockissubsidized–afigurethatincludespublichousing, Section8housing,andstate-basedsubsidies. Only12%ofrentalhousingunitsareaffordableto 14 familiesat30%ofAMI;25%areaffordabletofamiliesat50%ofareamedianincome(AMI) andbelow 15
IllegalDiscriminationContinuestoHarmPeopleofColor
ThehousingaffordabilitycrisishitsBlackandLatinoresidentsofNassauCountythe hardest.
AccordingtoHUDdata,84%ofhousingchoicevoucherholdersinNassauCountyareBlackor Latino. But,despitelawsthatmakesourceofincome discriminationillegal,prospectivetenants 16 withvouchersfacesignificantchallengesinfindingadequatehousing.
6 http://furmancenterorg/files/NYUFurmanCenter BlackLatinoSegregation 16SEPT15pdf
7 http://wwwnytimescom/2016/08/21/us/milwaukee-segregation-wealthy-black-familieshtml
8 FurmanCenter,10.1report
9 https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2016/2016summary.odn
10 AmericanCommunitySurvey20151-yearestimates;MedianHouseholdincomeinthepast12months.
11 AmericanCommunitySurvey20151-yearestimates
12 Ibid
13 NewYorkCommunitiesforChangeanalysisofAmericanCommunitySurvey20145-yearestimates
14 http://wwwlicforg/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Long-Islands-Rental-Housing-Crisispdf
15 NassauCountyConsolidatedPlan,p.61https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12211
16 DataismadeavailablebyHUDandcanbeviewedathttps://egis.hud.gov/affht/
EvelynDavisisaseniorcitizenwholivesat40WestColumbiaStreetinHempsteadandisa memberofNewYorkCommunitiesforChange.SheistheVicePresidentofhertenant associationandhasbeenlivinginhercurrentbuildingfornearly20years.Underhernew landlord,conditionshavestartedtodecline.Shedescribesbrokendoors,lackofsafetyinher apartment,andbedbugs,rodents,andotherinfestations.
DavishasaSection8voucher,andwouldlovetomovetoasaferarea,closertoherdoctorand publicservices.Sherecountedthat“Ican’tcounthowmanytimesIhavetriedtocallandfinda placeformyvoucher Theareaswherehousingcostsareverylow,youdon’twanttogo,because thereisnopublictransportation.Ittakesyououtofsociety.”
“Wherethereispublictransportation,andlocationofthings–mydoctor’soffice,otherthingsI wanttobearound...thereisnowayapersonthathasaregularjobcanaffordthatkindof[rent]. AndevenwiththeSection8,thereisnoway…ifyoumentionSection8,theyletyouknowright thenandthere:‘We’vegotnothingavailable.’”17
AnotherNassauCountyresident,GeraldineMaggett,isconsideringmovingoutofthestate becauseshecannotfindaplacetousehervoucher.Sheandher14-yearolddaughterhavea Section8voucher,andshehasbeenlookingforhousingforoverayear.Shedescribesher struggle:“Whenyoucalluptheymighttellyouthattheytaketheprogram,buttheytakeitat anotherlocation…[or]whenyoucall,theymighttellyouthattheytakethevoucher,butthenyou showupandtheydon’t.Andit’sthattheydon’ttakeyourcolor.”18
Unfortunately,theircasesarefarfromunique.Tworecentlawsuitshighlighttheburdenborneby low-incomepeopleofcolorintheNassauCountyhousingmarket.
InMayof2016,theNewYorkAttorneyGeneralsettledwiththreeprominentNassauCounty realestatefirms–DouglassElliman,EmpireStateEquities,andCrifasiRealEstate–forsource ofincomediscriminationinNassauCounty Thesethreecompaniestogetherrentouthundreds 19 ofapartmentsacrossNassauCounty TheAttorneyGeneral’sinvestigationfoundthatthey systematicallyrefusedtorentvoucherholdersapartments,eitherexplicitlyorthroughfictitious waitinglists,claimingSection8holderwouldhavetowaitoverfourmonthsforanapartmentto comeonline. (Prospectivetenantswhodonotpaywithvouchersreceivedapartments 20 immediately.)
In Mhany Management, Inc. v. County of Nassau, theU.S.CourtofAppealsfortheSecond CircuitreinstatedNewYorkCommunitiesforChange’sclaimthat NassauCountyhaslonghad anexplicitpolicyofintentionallysegregatingaffordablehousingforfamiliesinhandfulof
communitiesthataredisproportionatelyAfricanAmericanandLatino.Thisdecade-longcase alsoexposedhowGardenCityenactedexclusionaryzoningpoliciesdesignedtopreventthe developmentofaffordablehousingforpeopleofcolor.21
Butdespitethisstarkevidenceoftheextentoftheproblem,CountyExecutiveEdMangano andtheNassauRepublicanscontinuetoavoidaddressingthecrisisofsegregationin NassauCounty.
SourceofincomediscriminationlawsinNassauareweakerthaninSuffolkandinNewYork City,andthecounty’senforcementhasbeeninsufficientatbest.AccordingtoEvelynDavis, “WhenIwenttotheHumanRightsCommission,theysay‘nothingiswrong,’andtheysidewith thelandlord.”22
NewDevelopmentIsPerpetuatingSegregation
NassauCountyfundsthedevelopmentofnewhousingintwokeyways:disbursementofits federalHousingandUrbanDevelopment(HUD)allocatedfunding(CDBG,ESG,andHOME funds)andthroughtaxsubsidiesallocatedbytheNassauCountyIndustrialDevelopment Agencies(NCIDA).
NassauCountyisoneofthelargestsuburbanrecipientsofHUDfundinginthecountry, receivingover$16millioninFiscalYear2016. In2014,ERASERacismfiledafairhousing 23 complaintagainstNassauCountywithHUD,allegingthatNassauCounty’sallocationofHUD fundingforhousingviolatedtheFairHousingAct. ThecomplaintallegedthatNassauCounty 24 hadanexplicitpolicyofdirectingaffordablehousingactivitytomajority-minoritycommunities, whilesimultaneouslyspendingmillionsofdollarsonnon-housingactivityinmajorityWhite communities. Themapbelowclearlyillustratesthat thispolicyhasresultedinaconcentration 25 oflow-incomehousingincommunitiesofcolor,withalmostnolow-incomehousingoptions availableinWhitecommunities.
Multifamilyhousingdevelopmentistypicallyluxuryorseniorhousing,andisunlikelytoserve low-incomepeopleofcolor Andthoughlow-incomepeoplearemorelikelytorelyonpublic 26 serviceslikemasstransit,just27%ofnewhousingdevelopmentislocatednearmasstransit options.27
21 Mhany Mgmt , Inc v Cty Of Nassau,819F.3d581(2dCir.2016)
22 EvelynDavisinterviewwithNewYorkCommunitiesforChange,December6,2016
23 NassauUrbanCountyConsortium,FiscalYear2016AnnualActionPlan,availableat: https://nassaucountynygov/DocumentCenter/View/16736
24 http://wwweraseracismnyorg/storage/documents/HUD Administrative Complaintpdf
25 Ibid
26
http://www.longislandindex.org/2016/09/26/long-running-fight-over-downtown-development-finally-turns-a-corner/
27 http://multifamily.longislandindexmaps.org/
AstheCountyhasbeencompelledtofaceaserioushousingcrisisandcontendwithdecades-old racismbakedintopublicpolicy,theNassauCountyOfficeofHousingandCommunity Development(OHCD)haspromisedtosetasideamere7.5%ofitsHUDbudgetforaffordable housingdevelopment. Thiswillresultinjust115unitsoflow-andmoderate-incomerental 28 housingbetween2015and2019.29
Byitsownadmission,NassauCountyisdoingamiserablejobmeetingthestandardsitsetfor itselftoaddresshomelessnessandhousingcrisis.AccordingtotheCounty’s2015Consolidated AnnualPerformanceEvaluationandReport(CAPER),NassauCountyhousedjust12homeless familiesinaffordablehousing.TheCountyhadsetagoalof15,000.TheCountysuccessfully housed62non-homelessfamilies(4,938householdsshyofits5,000-householdgoal.)
(Infact,NassauisonlymeetingitshousinggoalswhenitcomestoSection8voucherallocation. Butasthelawsuitsdescribedabovedemonstrate,holdingavoucherdoesnotresultinbeing adequatelyhousedinNassau.)30
In2016,whileNassauCountysuffersaseverehousingcrisis,Mangano’sgovernmentis planningtobuildjust10unitsofaffordablerentalhousing;meanwhile,dollarsthatcouldbe spentonhousingaregoingtowards45localparkandcommercialbeautificationprojects.31 NassauCountyisspending$53,800onhistoricsignageinGlenCove,and$115,000on ornamentalstreetlightsinLynbrook.32
TheNassauCountyIDAisapublicagencythatisempoweredtofinanceeconomicdevelopment andhousingprojectsthroughtaxsubsidies.ItisanarmoftheCountyandisrunbya seven-memberboardofexecutiveappointees.Manganohasappointed5ofthe7currentboard members.33
AccordingtoastudycommissionedbytheCountytostudythecumulativeeconomicimpactof theNassauCountyIDAinJuneof2015,theagencyhassubsidized1,350unitsofhousinginfive years,with325oftheunitssetasideas“affordable.”34
ButtheNassauCountyIDA’strackrecordofperpetuatingsegregationiscauseforconcern,asis theCounty’sstandardfor“affordable.”
InOctober2016,LongIslandHousingServicesandtheFairHousingJusticeCentersettleda lawsuit(withprejudice)againsttheNassauCountyIDA.Thecomplaintinthecaseallegedthat theNassauCountyIDAknowinglyfinancedadiscriminatoryhousingprojectintheVillageof GreatNeckPlaza.Thecomplaintfoundthatthedevelopersandtheagencyappliedacommunity preferencepolicythatprioritizedlong-termpredominatelyWhiteresidentsofGreatNeckfor affordableapartmentsinGreatNeckPlaza.
ThecomplaintfurtherallegedthattheMayorofGreatNeckPlazatestifiedatapublichearing(at whichrepresentativesoftheNassauCountyIDAwerepresent)abouttheimportancetothe Villageofapolicytoensurethatonly“therightpeople”wouldmovein.TheIDAproceededto approveallpublicfinancingfortheproject.Pursuanttothesettlement,theNassauCountyIDA willpay$150,000infinestothePlaintiffsandarerequiredtoadoptaseriesofpoliciesaimedat increasingthesupplyofaffordablehousinginNassauCounty.35
AndatAvalonBayGreatNeck,whichreceivedataxsubsidyfromNCIDA,theCounty’s definitionof“affordable”isfaroutofreachoflow-incomerentersofcolorinNassauCounty. The191-unitprojectisbeingbuiltinamajority-Whitecommunityandwillreceiveanestimate ofover$5millionintaxsubsidiesovera15-yearperiod. 10%ofthehousing(lessthan20 36 units)willbesetasidefor“workforce”units,someofwhichwillrentforalmost$3,000amonth. Renters,adisproportionateshareofwhicharepeople ofcolor,makefarless–anaverageof 37 $53,556.Thisproject,whichwillreceivemillionsinsubsidies,squandersscarceandvaluable resourceswhiledoingnothingtopromoteintegration.
NassauCounty’shousingdevelopmentpolicies,bothwithfederalHUDfundingandtheNassau CountyIDA,haveperpetuatedsegregationintheregion.DesegregatingNassauCountywill requiredecisiveactionfromeverylevelofgovernment.
DesegregatingNassauCounty
InordertoeliminateracistplanningpracticesonLongIsland,wearedemandingtheNassau CountySegregationiststotakethefollowingsteps:
1.Proactivelyenforceandstrengthensourceofincomediscriminationlaws.
Over4,800peopleinNassauCountypaytheirrentusingSection8vouchers,and84%are peopleofcolor.SteeringSection8voucherholdersawayfrommajorityWhiteneighborhoods cementssegregationinNassau.NassauCountymust:
• Strengthensourceofincomediscriminationlegislationtodefinewhichspecificsources ofincomeareprotected.
• FundtheNassauCountyHumanRightsCommissiontoregularlytestandbring enforcementactionsthatresultinmeaningfulfinesagainstpropertyownerswhoengage inracialsteeringorsourceofincomeorotherdiscrimination.Finesshouldbelevied(at anamountwithasignificanteconomicimpactsoastochangebehavior)tospecifically increasetheresourcesavailabletobuildlow-incomehousinginNassau.
http://www.theislandnow.com/great neck/news/avalonbay-project-breaks-ground/article
2.Buildnewdeeplyaffordable,income-tieredhousingneartransitcorridorsandinhigh opportunityneighborhoods.
• EndtheuseoftheNassauCountyIDAtoprovidegeneroustaxbreaks,publicfinancing, andbrownfieldremediationsubsidiestoinfillprojectsthatdonotsetasideasatisfactory portionoftheprojecttohousingforfamiliesbelow50%ofAMI.
• TargetIDAtaxbenefitsthatresultinhousinginthe25high-opportunityneighborhoods nearwellperformingpublicschoolsandalongtransitcorridors,identifiedbytheNassau CountyAnalysisofImpedimentstoFairHousing.
• DistributeHUDfundinginallcommunitieswithintheCountyandrequirethatall municipalitiesmustapplyforanduseIDA,Countysubsidy,andHUDfundstofurther affirmfairhousingpracticesintheircommunitiesandprovidehousingaffordabletolow incomefamilies.
• Forallprojectsthatreceivepublicsubsidy–includingland,IDAtaxbenefits,public financing,orHUDfunds–requireaminimumof50%ofnewdevelopmentinclude housingforindividualsandfamilieswithincomesbelow50%oftheareamedianincome includingaminimumof10%at30%ofAMI.
• Atleast80%ofCDBGmoneyshouldbesetasideforlow-incomehousingprojects
• Designtenantselectionpoliciesthatrequireaffordablehousingprovidersinhigh opportunityareastosetasideunitsforhouseholdswhowouldcontributetoneighborhood diversityandintegration.
3.Reducezoningbarrierstonewmultifamilyhousingdevelopment.
Itiswellestablishedthatzoninglawsaresetbythelocalgovernment.However,whenlocal zoningcodesviolatefederalcivilrightslaws,theyarenotallowedtostand.
Mhany Management, Inc v. County of Nassau revealshowentrenchedexclusionaryzoningisin NassauCounty.Limitsofresidentialdensityperacreandonbuildingheightpreventthecounty fromsolvingtheproblemofsegregation.
• NassauCountyshouldcreateandstaffanofficetoproactivelyinvestigatelocalzoning measures,likeminimumlotsizeandmaximumhouseholdsperacre,thatoftenviolate AffirmativelyFurtheringFairHousing.
• Thisinvestigationshouldbemeaningfulandbinding.Inlocalitiesthatrefusetocomply withreformingtheirrestrictivezoning,NassauCountyshouldissueheftyfinesand preventthelocalityfromcollectingHUDsubsidies,IDAtaxbreaksforeconomic development,otherCountysubsidiestolocalgovernment.
4.Preserveexistingaffordablehousingandincreaseresourcesavailabletolow-income tenants.
NassauCounty’shousingproblemislikelytogetworseasthecostofhousingincreases,people ofcolorarepushedoutofNewYorkCity,andtheexistingsupplyofaffordablehousing deterioratesorexpiresfromcontractsthatprotectaffordability
NASSAUCOUNTY’SSUBSIDIZEDHOUSING
Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition Preservation Database
OfNassau’s9,500subsidizedhousingunits,morethan1,700willexpireby2020.Another1,000 willexpireby2025.AsERASERacism’s2014complaintcontends,thesebuildingsare overwhelmingconcentratedinpoorcommunitiesofcolor.NassauCountyOHCDmustdevelopa strategytoaddressthiscomingcrisis,whichwillhaveadisparateimpactonminorityfamilies.
TheOHCDshouldactasastewardtoensurethatthishousingstockisdirectedtonew, preservation-mindeddeveloperswhowillkeepthishousingpermanentlyaffordable.
OHCDshouldcreateanofficeofhousingpreservationthatwouldproactivelycallinproperty ownerswhoseprojectsarefacinguserestrictionsandputtheseprojects,atapivotalpointintheir lifespan,througharigorousregulatoryscrutiny.Then,OHCDcansetasideabucketofHUD fundingtoprovidelow-costacquisitionand/orrehabilitationfinancinginexchangeforarenewed andstrengthenedregulatoryagreement.
Further,therearelimitedresourcesavailabletotenantswhoarestrugglingforsaferliving conditionsandtostayintheirhomes.
• Fundanofficeofcodeenforcementtoregularlyinspecthousingstockandbring meaningfullawsuitsagainstpropertyownerswhodonotcomply.Housingcode violationsshouldresultinmeaningful,lienablefinesthatwillallowresidentsto proactivelypushoutslumlordsandconvertbuildingsintostable,affordablehousing.
• NassauCountyshouldmakesurethatcodeenforcementisnotappliedinadiscriminatory waythatplacesadisparateburdenonlowincomecommunities.
• ProvidelocalsupportthroughtheNassauCountyOfficeofHousingandCommunity Developmenttoproactivelyrecapturebuildingswithexpiringaffordabilityrestrictions.
5.Protectaffordablehomeownershipforfamiliesofcolor.
NumerousstudieshavedemonstratedthattheforeclosurecrisisinNassauCountyandinthe countryhasitsrootsindiscriminatorylendingpolicies.Asaresult,peopleofcoloraremore likelytolosetheirhometoforeclosure.
• UsethenewlycreatedNassauCountylandbanktopurchasemortgagesinforeclosure andrefinancewiththegoalofpreservingaffordablehomeownership.Shouldthefinancial institutionbeunwillingorunabletoparticipate,NassauCountyshouldworkwith communitypartnerstoconvertthehousingintorentalhousingoralimited-equity homeownershipmodel.
• NassauCounty’spropertytaxesarenotoriouslyhigh,leadingtoadisproportionateburden onlow-incomefamilies.Buteveryyear,NassauCountysellsoffunpaidpropertytaxesat auctiontothehighestbidder.Onejusthastopay$125toparticipate.NassauCounty shouldinsteadleverageoutstandingtaxburdenstostabilizehomeownersandlockin affordability.Thiscanbedoneinoneoftwowaysthatwouldleadtolastingaffordability inthehousingstock:
o Forlow-incomeseniors,bydeferringunpaidtaxesintoareversemortgage; NassauCountywouldretainthehousingforaffordablehomeownershipuponsale ofthepropertyordeath.
o For1-4unitmultifamilybuildings,NassauCountyshouldretainthepropertytax arrears,foreclose,andtransferthebuildingstononprofitaffordabledevelopers.