My Housing MattersThe Report
Central New York Fair Housing, a nonprofit, has examined the state of housing in Onondaga County. It produced a 150-page report filled with data.
The MyHousingMatters.com team, made up of Syracuse University student journalists, set out to find people affected by the issues raised in the report, and to explain the systems intended to ensure fair housing for everyone.
The Findings
The report notes that “where you live determines everything. ” The MyHousingMatters.com team focused largely on African-Americans, who were identified in the report as being particularly affected. Blacks are:
- Four times more likely to live in an area of low educational outcomes.
- Two times more likely to live in an area of low economic opportunity.
- Three times more likely to live in an area of low housing and neighborhood opportunity.
The Outlooks
Enter the house to reveal personal stories of residents
Janelle Boyd’s an unusual black face in mostly white Eastwood. But she’s made a comfortable home there for herself and her boys with her determined march out of public housing and through a maze of low-wage jobs.
None of the Mills kids have “walked” on graduation day — yet. Will a change of scenery help? They’re eyeing different schools — and a different state — in hopes at least one of the kids can chart a better future.
James Manyang’s commute to work measured a very modest 3½ miles each way. Except he walked it. Now, he drives his own car. Most are not so lucky.
Only a handful of African-Americans own homes in the city. For one who does, Brandiss Pearson-McIntyre, the odds were particularly long — and the rewards especially sweet.
Rashida Mims and 9 kids cram into an unsafe house in an unsafe neighborhood. Lead threatens their health; criminals target their home. It’s the best they can do.
Charles Rivers has lived for almost two decades in a South Side home where his family makes the most of its limited space. Like many families, they’d like a little better. But they have some odds working against them. In the hunt for better, all Rivers has found is frustration.
Explore the rest of the site to learn about the issues
Why housing matters
This project examines housing in Syracuse by putting a face on statistics and research done by Central New York Fair Housing, a local nonprofit. This much is true: Black residents in Onondaga County are...
How housing matters
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Section 8
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