Orange County, NC’s Approach
Learn more about Orange County, NC’s approach to racial equity in housing.
Race and Housing
History
The roots of racial inequity in this country run centuries deep. In the 1930s, the Federal Housing Administration began insuring private loans that would ultimately help millions of white families obtain affordable, low-down-payment mortgages and join the middle class. But this insurance was specifically denied to communities where Black households lived through the practice of redlining.
After passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, racially restrictive covenants were officially prohibited. But exclusionary zoning by wealth and income replaced exclusionary zoning by race, often with the same effect if not intent. Communities used zoning to require large lot and home sizes, outlaw attached housing and apartments, and add other requirements and restrictions that drove up the cost of new homes. These restrictions disproportionately prevented families of color from accessing the education, employment, and wealth-building opportunities found in neighborhoods previously segregated explicitly by race.
These racially discriminatory housing policies have combined to profoundly disadvantage Black households, with lasting, intergenerational impact. Race-based exclusions from federal mortgage programs, bank loans, and communities with educational and equity-building opportunities meant that Black parents had less wealth to pass on to their children to help with a down payment. Black children grew up in neighborhoods with vastly different educational opportunities than their White peers. Black parents were less able to finance their children’s college tuition with home equity, contributing to higher student debt for Black college graduates, if not lower rates of completion. These intergenerational impacts are just a few examples that explain the racial disparities we see today in wealth, health, and educational outcomes for Black Americans.
Habitat for Humanity’s Work
Habitat for Humanity believes safe, affordable housing is a right. Habitat was born more than 45 years ago on a Georgia farm built on the principle of radical, racial inclusivity. Through our Advancing Black Homeownership initiative, Habitat will work to increase the number of Black homeowners in the US and locally in Orange County, NC.