ERASE Racism launches interactive tool for affordable housing

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ERASE Racism, a Long Island-based civil rights organization has launched a new interactive tool to connect residents with inclusive, affordable housing across the state of New York.

ERASE Racism’s Affordable and Inclusive Housing Tool (AIHT), released at the end of November, comes at a time when New York State is experiencing an affordable housing crisis.

A majority of renters across New York are paying more for rent than they can afford, according to the NYU Furman Center. the lack of affordable housing disproportionately impacts Black residents and other marginalized communities, adding to the racial homeownership gap.

“ERASE Racism’s Affordable and Inclusive Housing Tool is an essential new device for those interested in increasing affordable and inclusive housing in New York State,” said ERASE Racism President Laura Harding. “It provides a level of analysis that has not been previously available and that is crucial to identifying the best places for such new housing.”

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New Affordable Housing Tool

Instead of placing affordable housing only in low-income areas, creators of the new interactive tool hope it will lead to more affordable housing units placed equally throughout cities in New York.

“We have already started to use these maps in our work with local housing mobility programs in New York State,” said Philip Tegeler, President and Executive Director of the Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC).

The tool utilizes 30 fair housing measures, including the financial stability of the area, local health outcomes, and housing quality to identify placement for new affordable housing. 

Users can identify prime locations for reasonable housing, gather information on existing subsidized and multi-family housing, measure racial segregation, and even address the quality of the local school district.

ERASE Racism’s Affordable and Inclusive Housing Tool was developed by Olivia Ildefonso, Ph.D., data and analytics consultant to ERASE Racism, in collaboration with Laura Harding, President of ERASE Racism.

To learn more, visit the Housing tool here.