April 18, 2018 The Skanner Page 7
50
YEARS
FAIR HOUSING
CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW
SPECIAL SECTION
The Fair Housing Act
1968-2018
Jefferson Marketplace at 7th and Q streets was built after Kelsey
Gardens was demolished.
By Barrington M. Salm-
on
BlackPressUSA/NNPA
Newswire Contributor
This is the first article
in a series focused on the
health effects associat-
ed with gentrification in
Washington, D.C. This se-
ries is supported through
a journalism fellowship
with the Center for Health
Journalism at the Annen-
berg School of Journalism
at the University of South-
ern California.
y many measures,
the revitalization
of neighborhoods
across Washington,
D.C. has been a windfall
for the city. Fueled by
B
higher tax revenues and
property values, the city
is awash in construction
cranes, new libraries,
restaurants and retail,
and more than 70 miles of
bike lanes—all welcomed
signs of gentrification in
the nation’s capital.
Lost in the city’s waves
of new amenities and
newer, more affluent in-
habitants, are the long-
time
Washingtonians
who have been pushed
out or who are fighting to
stay in the city.
Shirley Williams is
one of those residents,
who decided to fight. For
Williams, that fight came
with debilitating conse-
quences.
Williams said that she
PHOTO BY BERNIE FOSTER
FREDDIE ALLEN/AMG/NNPA
For Many Black
Washingtonians,
Gentrification
Threatens Housing
and Health
PCRI Launches Pathway 1000
Implementation Plan
Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc. (PCRI)celebrated completion of the Pathway 1000 Implementation Plan
April 17 PCRI offices at 6329 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Prepared by PCRI, its partners and collaborators and informed by
a participatory community engagement process, the Plan contains collaborative, inclusive and integrated goals, strategies
and actions to raise and invest $300 million over the next ten years to create 1,000 affordable homes for Blacks and others
displaced or in danger of displacement from North and Northeast Portland, of which 800 will be sold to new homeowners.
The initiative aims to create hundreds of living wage jobs and spur significant business growth and development.
Formed twenty-five years ago in response to a housing crisis created by redlining and predatory lending practices, PCRI is a non-profit
community development corporation with a mission to preserve, expand and manage affordable housing in the City of Portland and
provide access to and advocacy for services to residents. More information on Pathway 1000 is available at https://pcrihome.org/
archives/category/pathway-1000.
developed diabetes a year
after she and fellow resi-
dents were displaced, for
eight years, from their
54-unit
garden-style
apartment complex at
7th and Q Streets in the
Shaw neighborhood. She
has since returned. Now,
there’s a new apartment
building at 7th and Q
named Jefferson Mar-
ketplace; an upscale pet
store, a Thai restaurant
and a French wine bar
are located on the street
level; Williams said that
she’s not the same, either.
Williams
connects
many of her health prob-
lems to the uncertainty
of her housing situation,
a rootlessness that has
spanned nearly a decade.
“I’m on dialysis now; I
can hardly get around,”
said Williams, a mother
of three grown children.
“I wasn’t weak. I could
walk down to those ONE
DC meetings, but I can’t
do that anymore. I’m
pretty sure it affected
my health; I lost my eye-
sight…can’t see anything
anymore.”
According to the Cen-
ters for Disease Control
and Prevention, the dis-
placement
associated
with gentrification has
many health implica-
tions that contribute to
disparities among spe-
cial populations, includ-
ing the poor, women,
children, the elderly, and
members of racial/ethnic
minority groups.
“These special popu-
lations are at increased
risk for the negative
consequences of gentri-
fication,” the CDC said.
“Studies indicate that
vulnerable populations
typically have shorter
life expectancy; higher
cancer rates; more birth
defects; greater infant
mortality; and higher in-
See WASHINGTON, D.C.
on page 8
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS
OF FAIR HOUSING
homeforward.org