Central Indiana center teams up with UIndy to address housing inequalities
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The community is coming together to address the challenges of housing discrimination in Indianapolis.
The goal is to ensure everyone has access to fair housing.
The Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana teamed up with the University of Indianapolis to facilitate the discussion.
It coincides with the housing history of sales and lending discrimination exhibit at the university’s library.
Erika Fotsch, director of education and outreach at the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, said, “Segregation still exists today and it has real life impacts on the people here in Indianapolis. From health disparities from access to banking, access to a good school system, health and child care, and good jobs to housing. Housing is really the staple foundation where a successful, thriving happy life can be built from.”
Fotsch touched on the long-term effects of housing discrimination including the wealth gap.
She’s also looking into what research is actively being done to combat the issues through housing counseling, education, and an inclusive communities program.
“It’s high-level systemic issues in our housing markets where the inequities lie and how we can think about approaching those programs on a policy level. That’s our fourth program which is our public policy program that helps advance housing equity and and justice in our communities,” Fotsch said.
Fotsch says some of the biggest challenges are lending disparities in banking, predatory lending, manufactured mobile home parks, and investor activities.
“In both the rental side of things and single family home which is driving up costs, and taking away homeownership opportunities from families and were seeing a lot of harmful impacts in our neighborhoods from that,” Fotsch said.
Attendees at the discussion include students and community members wanting to learn more about local issues. Student Elizabeth Brookover says she’s really interested in housing. “I did a paper about it in one of my social work classes so I’m just building off of what I really know.”
Brookover hopes to make a difference once she graduates with a better understanding of the city’s history. “I hope to learn about where the discrimination is coming from, and what I can do to help minimize it,” she said.
Fotsch says continuing the conversation is the first step to change. “Definitely spreading the word. We also have a testing program that allows us to secret shop housing for some of these inequities and I highly recommend checking that out,” she said.
The exhibit will remain on display at UIndy until Sept. 26.