03.16.14 Role of Housing in Revitilization

This past week I attended a fundraiser breakfast for the neighborhood association of our target area. I hosted a table, inviting other neighborhood landlords, and during the fundraiser I was able to talk about the adopt-a-block program I’ve been coordinating as a way to extend the reach of the neighborhood association and improve the neighborhood.

At the event I was able to snag a copy of the 100 page 2008 revitalization plan. One of the four pillars of the plan is housing (to improve conditions and increase home ownership), and the words landlord were in the plan more than I expected.

Affordable housing was listed as both a strength and an opportunity. Absentee/slum landlords is listed as a challenge, with both slumlords/neglect of property and slumlords & empty houses listed as threats. Two thirds of households were renters, and there was a high rate of transiency. Over half of renters paid over 30% of their income on housing. Crimes occurred more frequently in rental properties, and where residents had lived there less than five years. The median home value is the lowest, and median rents are the third highest in the city. Neighborhood decline was blamed on lax landlord standards, poor maintenance, and rapid turnover.

Suggestions included strengthening property maintenance codes, requiring absentee owners to register annually (in order to contact owners easier), and creating a Housing Services Coordinator role to work with tenants and landlords. Strategies included instituting a landlord training program to assist small property managers with tenant selection, crime prevention, and existing tools. And selling foreclosed properties to residents rather than investors, offering incentives to restoring poor housing, or promoting alternative forms of housing (Katrina Bungalows) and housing ownership (sweat equity).

In the six years since this plan was written, many great things have happened in the neighborhood, but very little progress has been made on the housing-specific issues. One thing my husband continually points out is how one-sided/anti landlord the sentiment is, which makes it hard for landlords to partner with residents to make positive changes. But I keep trying, and am even more hopeful that I can identify and recruit other responsible and responsive landlords this year.