APEX Media / For VPM News. The Oak Grove neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia, captured on Thursday, October 5, 2023.
May 30, 2024 Story by: Editor
May 30, 2024 Story by: Editor
RICHMOND, Va. — Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) has released a report revealing that racism contributes to a 17% disparity in home values between Black and white neighborhoods with equivalent amenities. The Richmond nonprofit, dedicated to equitable housing policies, emphasized that this gap is a major factor in the decline of traditionally Black communities.
One Richmond-area homeowner, Angelyn Scott, shared her perspective on the findings.
“My father and most of my aunts and uncles grew up here,” said Scott, referring to her family home in the Church Hill neighborhood. “So this house has been in the family for about 75 years.”
Scott is determined to uphold her family’s legacy in Church Hill.
“This home was always a place, a hub, where family could come gather when anything is going wrong,” said Scott. “When anything’s going right. You know, we come here, we eat, we celebrate. We gather here. This is the homestead for us and our family.”
However, Scott faces significant challenges, starting with city regulations that have placed her home in the delinquent property program.
“The city said, ‘Well, the house isn’t being occupied right now. We suggest that you put up boards on your windows and doors,'” Scott explained. “And so, after we put these boards up, we immediately get this letter saying, ‘Oh, because you have boards on your windows and doors, you’re now in this program that you didn’t choose to be in.'”
HOME’s report points to a more insidious issue beyond bureaucracy.
“If you strip away all the factors that you would think about when it comes to housing price, race is still a predominant factor in determining what the value is of that house,” stated Tom Fitzpatrick, HOME’s Executive Director.
Fitzpatrick highlighted that homes in predominantly Black neighborhoods in Richmond are valued 17% less than comparable homes in areas with fewer Black residents. This devaluation makes traditionally Black neighborhoods, such as Church Hill, Randolph, and Highland Park, vulnerable to outside buyers who can displace long-time residents.
“We’re very concerned that in those specific neighborhoods, there has been displacement of Black residents,” Fitzpatrick said. “And in some of them, up to 45% of Black residents that live in those neighborhoods no longer live there 10 years later.”
Scott is keenly aware of this pressure, noting the fines and threats of jail time she has faced during her renovation efforts.
“It is a struggle in the Black communities specifically because this area has been historically Black for a long time,” Scott said. “It is difficult to deal with the strain and stress of what seems to be the pressure for us to just give up the properties and just give up the land.”
Losing such properties means losing potential wealth-building assets.
Fitzpatrick acknowledged that Richmond is taking steps to protect minority communities but urged more action to support these neighborhoods as development progresses.
“Are we putting in protective factors that can ensure that the folks that have built those neighborhoods, that have been part of the fabric of those communities, can continue to live there and thrive there?” Fitzpatrick asked.
For Scott and her family, giving up is not an option.
“It would be devastating,” said Scott. “It would be crushing. It would really hurt me to lose this property. The sentimental value of it alone would. It would crush me. It really would.”
Richmond City Councilmember Ellen Robertson from the 6th District commissioned the HOME report. She explained the need for such a report.
“We’ve always known that African Americans are constantly being discriminated against,” Robertson said. “The Fair Housing Act is being ignored. A home in a white neighborhood that might be worth $300,000 is only worth $165,000 in a Black neighborhood, and we’re not even talking about the so-called lowest-income neighborhoods. The 3rd, 5th, and 6th Districts have plenty of middle-class families.” Source: 6 News Richmond
Robertson expressed concern about families being displaced due to low property valuations and rising real estate taxes, particularly in areas like Eastview and Belle-Meade.
To address these issues, Robertson has proposed several policy changes:
1. Conducting displacement risk assessments for major developments.
2. Creating a registry of affordable housing property owners to maintain their eligibility for tax exemptions.
3. Establishing a $100 million fund for affordable housing, including land banking for future developments.
4. Revising zoning laws to increase affordable housing opportunities, as 65% of the city’s residential space is currently zoned for single-family homes.
Robertson also aims to eliminate “tax sales,” where homes are sold due to unpaid real estate taxes, and to implement tax exemptions for long-term senior residents.
“The City makes it too hard, demanding full payment instead of working on a plan for repayment with the homeowner,” she said.
These initiatives are part of a broader effort to ensure that Black residents can remain in their communities and benefit from economic development without being displaced.
