Economic Justice
Let's rebuild with a focus on equity: we have an opportunity to undo harm and build back better.
Alicia Gibson's Neighborhood Revitalization Program:
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Close the Racial Home Ownership Gap
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Land-bank Affordable Housing
As we rebuild, now is the time to place equity at the center of our work, and we do that by creating processes that give communities decision-making power. This requires meaningful participation in all phases of development planning, a balance of housing types across the city, reparations for discriminatory housing practices, opportunities for low-income home ownership, small business inclusion, ending the practice of empty storefronts as the status quo, and a public-private partnership to become a national leader in piloting universal basic income.
A New Neighborhood Revitalization Program:
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CLOSE THE HOME OWNERSHIP RACIAL GAP with a new category for neighborhood home loans that provides help with down payments for African American and Native home buyers to repair the harm of discrimination that has kept their communities out of the generational wealth building and stability of home ownership.
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LAND-BANK AFFORDABLE HOUSING: A neighborhood fund for buying and land-banking naturally occurring affordable housing will give communities the ability to participate in the market faster than their non-profit peers (who have access to funding but at a slower rate). Once the non-profit partner's funding comes through, the ownership is transferred and the funding pot is refilled, giving the neighborhood more money to keep land-banking. The McKnight Foundation has come up with a similar solution. Read more here.
Alicia Gibson's Economic Equity Vision
Radical Housing Inclusion
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Close-the-gap housing fund increases Black and Native home ownership
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Opportunities for low-income home ownership, such as right to 1st offer that includes smaller-scale buildings and "right to return" program
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Older buildings transition into affordable housing with laws, policies, and codes that promote single room occupancy, rooming houses, ancillary housing
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Creative pathways to stability from shelters to group homes to earned equity co-ops, in addition to adequate & culturally relevant shelter space
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Leaders make good on renters rights by advocating for marginalized communities in enforcement
Equitable Planning
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Community development goals co-created with neighborhoods guide developers and the Planning Commission
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Development scores on a project-by-project basis as determined by a neighborhood-led process
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Dashboard of W10 housing metrics guide decision-making and ensure an equitable spread of affordability
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Easy to read "Housing Thermometer" indicates how well goals are being met
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Collaboration with county and state partners increases ongoing public investment
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Rent stabilization study to align w/planning goals to promote housing stability & affordability
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New NRP enables community land-banking & reparations
Economic Revitalization
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Quarterly W10 small business summits for networking, determining structural change to city systems, and setting priorities.
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Infrastructure projects along business corridors emphasize small business needs, particularly for BIPOC-owned businesses
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Tax incentives for filling empty storefronts with small businesses and prioritizing needs of marginalized communities; blight tax for those who leave storefronts empty.
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National leadership in piloting universal basic income with public/private partnerships to address root causes of racialized cycles of poverty