Denver Region Fair Housing Equity Assessment

Transcription

1 Denver Region Fair Housing Equity Assessment July 1, 2014 Prepared by: BBC Research and Consulting For: Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG)

2 Table of Contents ES. Executive Summary The Story of Fair Housing in the Region... ES 2 How does the Denver region compare with peer regions?... ES 6 How to Improve Access to Opportunity... ES 6 I. Introduction Methodology and Geographic Scope... I 1 HUD Preliminary Analysis of Access to Opportunity... I 2 Organization of Report... I 3 II. Fair Housing Profile Summary of Fair Housing Profile Findings... II 29 III. Access to Opportunity Analysis of Indicators of Opportunity... III 1 Analysis of Indicators of Access... III 21 Equitable Access to Opportunity Reports... III 35 Summary of Access to Opportunity Findings... III 47 IV. Fair Housing Issues and Challenges Fair Housing History... IV 1 Current State of Discrimination... IV 2 Summary of Fair Housing Challenges... IV 16 V. Citizen and Stakeholder Input Citizen Deliberation Process... V 1 Stakeholder Deliberation Process... V 2 Themes from Citizen and Stakeholder Deliberation... V 3 Recommendations from Citizen and Stakeholder Deliberation... V 8 VI. Conclusions, Recommendations and Next Steps Summary of Needs... VI 1 How to Improve Access to Opportunity... VI 4 AA. Appendix A: Analysis of Public Infrastructure Investments Planned Infrastructure Investments... AA-1 DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT i

3 LIST OF FIGURES Figure I-1: Disparities in Access to Opportunity, Denver Region, I 3 Figure II-1: Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, II-1 Figure II-2: Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, II-3 Figure II-3: Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, II-4 Figure II-4: Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, II-5 Figure II-5: Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, II-6 Figure II-6: Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, II-7 Figure II-7: Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, II-8 Figure II-8: Change in Minority Population 2000 to 2010, Denver Region, II-9 Figure II-9: Proportion of the Population that is Foreign Born by Place of Birth... II-10 Figure II-10: Proportion of Census tract households that are linguistically isolated... II-11 Figure II-11: Population Distribution by Census Tract Majority, Denver Region, II-12 Figure II-12: Census Tracts with Hispanic Impacted Areas, Denver Region, II-15 Figure II-13: Census Tracts with African American Impacted Areas, Denver Region, II-16 Figure II-14: Census Tracts Greater than 50% Minority Concentration, Denver Region, II-17 Figure II-15: Residents of RCAPs/ECAPs, II-18 Figure II-16: Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty, Denver Region, II-19 Figure II-17: Proportion of Residents Living in RCAPs or ECAPs, Denver Region, II-20 Figure II-18: Dissimilarity Index, Denver Region, 2000 and II-21 Figure II-19: Dissimilarity Index by County, Denver Region, II-22 Figure II-20: Poverty Rate, Denver Region, 1990, 2000 and II-23 Figure II-21: Proportion of Residents Living in Poverty by Census Tract, Denver Region, II-25 Figure II-22: Disability Characteristics, Denver Region, II-27 Figure II-23: Proportion of the Population Under Age 65 with a Disability, Denver Region... II-28 Figure II-24: Proportion of the Population Age 65 and older with a Disability, Denver Region... II-29 Figure III-1: School Proficiency Index Scaled to Regional Median, Denver Region, III-3 DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT i

4 LIST OF FIGURES Figure III-2: Job Distribution, Denver Region, III-4 Figure III-3: Job Density and Disability, Denver Region, III-6 Figure III-4: Job Density and Majority Minority, Denver Region, III-7 Figure III-5: Job Accessibility Index, Denver Region, III-8 Figure III-6: Educational Attainment, Unemployment and Job Training Centers, Denver Region... III-9 Figure III-7: Educational Attainment and Job Training Centers, Denver Region, III-10 Figure III-8: Health Care Facilities and Aging Population, Denver Region, III-12 Figure III-9: Modified Retail Food Index Scaled to Regional Median, Denver Region, III-13 Figure III-10: Open Space by Type, Denver Region, III-14 Figure III-11: Proportion of Families Living in Poverty and Poor Housing Stock, Denver Region... III-16 Figure III-12: Residential Loan Denials and Majority Minority, Denver Region, III-18 Figure III-13: Residential Loan Denials and Denver Poor Housing Condition, Denver Region... III-19 Figure III-14: Foreclosure Risk by Zip Code, Denver Region, III-20 Figure III-15: Rental Units and School Proficiency Index, Denver Region, III-22 Figure III-16: Rental Units Priced below $625 per Month... III-24 Figure III-17: Rental Units Prices below $1,250 per Month... III-25 Figure III-18: Homes Priced/Sold Below $150,000, Denver Region, III-27 Figure III-19: Homes Priced/Sold Between $150,000 and $250,000, Denver Region... III-28 Figure III-20: Public Transit and Affordable Housing, Denver Region, III-31 Figure III-21: Public Transit, Access-a-Ride Service and Future Older Adults, Denver Region... III-32 Figure III-22: Public Transit, Job Density and Job Training Centers, Denver Region III-33 Figure III-23: Public Transit Weekday Service Hours, Denver Region, III-34 Figure III-24: Adams County Measures of Diversity, Opportunity, and Access... III-36 Figure III-25: Arapahoe County Measures of Diversity, Opportunity, and Access... III-37 Figure III-26: Boulder County Measures of Diversity, Opportunity, and Access... III-38 Figure III-27: Broomfield County Measures of Diversity, Opportunity, and Access... III-39 DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT ii

5 LIST OF FIGURES Figure III-28: Clear Creek County Measures of Diversity, Opportunity, and Access... III-40 Figure III-29: Denver County Measures of Diversity, Opportunity, and Access... III-41 Figure III-30: Douglas County Measures of Diversity, Opportunity, and Access... III-42 Figure III-31: Gilpin County Measures of Diversity, Opportunity, and Access... III-43 Figure III-32: Jefferson County Measures of Diversity, Opportunity, and Access... III-44 Figure III-33: Southwest Weld County Measures of Diversity, Opportunity, and Access... III-45 Figure III-34: Diversity, Opportunity, and Access Data for All Counties... III-46 Figure IV-1: Number of Complaints by Year, Denver Region, IV-7 Figure IV-2: Number of Complaints by County, Denver Region, IV-7 Figure IV-3: Basis of All Complaints and the Basis of All Complaints, Denver Region... IV-7 Figure IV-4: Complaint Basis by Year, Denver Region, IV-8 Figure IV-5: Closure Reason for Complaints, Denver Region, IV-8 Figure IV-6: Hate Crimes, Denver Region, IV-9 Figure IV-7: Availability of Fair Housing Information, Denver Region, IV-15 Figure VI-1: Summary of Diversity, Opportunity and Access, Denver Region... VI-3 DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT iii

6 Executive Summary Fair Housing Equity Assessment As the Denver region continues to grow and change, it is imperative that thought is given to housing new and existing residents in the context of providing access to opportunity. Ensuring that all residents have better opportunities to grow economically has wide-reaching benefits for the region. To that end, it is important to consider how community assets and challenges are distributed across the region and the extent to which residents are able to make choices in accessing opportunity. This Executive Summary presents the primary findings from an assessment of fair housing equity in the Denver region. A Fair Housing Equity Assessment, or FHEA, is a required component of the Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI), a $4.5 million planning grant received by DRCOG in partnership with 86 organizations. The FHEA has two primary areas of focus: 1) An assessment of access to opportunity for residents in the region. For this report, under HUD s guidance, access to opportunity is defined as access to: transit; affordable, quality housing; quality schools, job training facilities and employment; and needed supportive services. 1 2) Development of a plan to improve areas where opportunity is lacking and improve the fair housing environment. In this document, this is contained in the Recommendations section. FHEA differs from other types of fair housing studies. It is important to note the FHEA is different from Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) reports, which are completed by municipalities in the region that receive HUD community development and housing funds directly. The FHEA has a deeper emphasis on access to opportunity; in contrast, AIs, focus more directly on discrimination and other barriers to housing choice. The primary findings from municipal AIs are incorporated into Fair Housing Issues and Challenges section of the FHEA. FHEA complements Regional Housing Strategy. This FHEA was developed in tandem with a Regional Housing Strategy, or RHS. The RHS examines equity in the provision of housing regionwide an important part of access to opportunity. 1 A HUD-requirement of FHEAs is an examination of the existence of segregation of residents by race and ethnicity, as well as poverty. As such, this FHEA incorporates a number of HUD-prescribed indicators and maps to examine racial, ethnic and economic segregation in the Denver region. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, PAGE 1

7 Limitations of the FHEA. Examining access to opportunity is a complicated task, from defining opportunity to employing the correct variables to measure opportunity. The access to opportunity approach is new for HUD and, although HUD has provided a number of indices to SCI grantees to examine opportunity, the data are still being refined. Similarly, complaint data provided by HUD are limited in that they only reflect residents or organizations that are proactive in combating alleged discrimination and do not account for the full range of potential fair housing violations. Statistically significant fair housing testing is the best measure of fair housing discrimination in a market, but it is expensive to conduct. The Denver region has been without a regionwide, active fair housing organization until recently, when the Metro Denver Fair Housing Center was formed. The fair housing center has conducted some of the first testing in the region in a decade. Finally, deliberations with representatives of entitlement jurisdictions during the development of the FHEA revealed challenges in understanding and embracing the concept of access to opportunity. Viewing fair housing needs through this lens is new to many and will require education and outreach an effort that begins with this FHEA. The Story of Fair Housing in the Region The Denver region developed later than many areas of the country and, as such, grew at a time when racial and ethnic discrimination was beginning to be addressed nationally through activism and legislation. Prior this period, Colorado and the City of Denver were pioneers on many civil rights fronts. In 1959, Colorado passed the one of earliest state civil rights laws in the country. In 1947, Denver s mayor established one of the nations first civil rights commissions. The City and County of Denver s current goal to be a world class city where everyone matters demonstrates continued commitment to equity. Despite this relatively positive history, racial and ethnic separations persist in the region and it is unclear exactly why. These concentrations are mostly likely not a result of any one factor, but instead a mix of historical settlement patterns (some related to segregation), economic need, housing preferences and community perceptions. Racial and ethnic concentrations are limited, but do exist. A neighborhood level analysis conducted for this FHEA revealed that residents are much more likely to live near neighbors who share their race and ethnicity. Nearly half of the region s minority residents live in a racially/ethnically concentrated neighborhood, those where more than 40 percent (or 3 times the region rate) of residents live in poverty and more than 50 percent of residents are non- White, non-hispanic. 2 Racial and ethnic concentrations have economic costs because many are also areas of concentrated poverty, where poverty exceeds 40 percent. About 150,750 residents in the region live in neighborhoods with both racial/ethnic and poverty concentrations. Of these, over half (57%) are in Denver, 20 percent are in Arapahoe County, 19 percent are in Adams County and 4 percent are in Boulder County. 2 RCAPs and ECAPs are HUD defined terms and required of the FHEA. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, PAGE 2

8 Why racial/ethnic concentrations exist. A recent report by the Manhattan institute shows that segregation in most American cities has been declining since a peak in the mid-twentieth century, when both government policies and market forces contributed to neighborhood segregation. Policy reform, shifts in racial attitude, gentrification of urban areas and integration of suburbs have all contributed to the overall decline in segregation. 3 Even so, racial concentrations persist in many neighborhoods due to a multitude of reasons including neighborhood history, immigration patterns, economic mobility and actual/perceived racism. Comments of residents at the focus groups held for the FHEA suggest that lack of diversity in some areas of the region is due to perceptions of exclusion, in addition to economic factors. Some neighborhoods are viewed as inclusive by residents, while some are not. The Denver region has high economic segregation, which restricts opportunity. A statistical examination of segregation in the nation s largest metropolitan areas conducted by the Pew Research Center, The Rise of Residential Segregation by Income, found the Denver MSA to be the 5 th worst of the 30 largest cities in the U.S. 4 The Denver MSA is just second to New York in the share of households earning less than $40,000 who live in a majority low income Census tract. At the neighborhood level, research has shown that a 40 percent poverty threshold is the point at which an area becomes socially and economically dysfunctional. Conversely, research has shown that areas with up to 14 percent of poverty have no noticeable effect on community opportunity. 5 In the Denver region, there are 14 Census tracts (2% of all Census tracts) with poverty rates exceeding 40 percent. About 49,000 residents live in these extreme poverty neighborhoods. twothirds (64%) of those residents are racial/ethnic minorities. Discrimination persists in the region. Complaint data, legal cases and fair housing testing results show that the most common reasons for discrimination in the region are disability and race. Recent fair housing testing indicates that discrimination is a significant barrier for African American and Hispanic renters and renters with children. There were 622 fair housing complaints filed in the region between 2006 and The fair housing legal cases resolved in the Denver Region since 2000 mostly involved reasonable accommodations requests or discriminatory behavior based on disability. A paired testing audit conducted by the Denver Metro Fair Housing Center found that African Americans encountered discrimination 67 percent of the time and Hispanics encountered discrimination 91 percent of the time when searching for housing in The Costs of Concentrated Poverty: Neighborhood Property Markets and the Dynamics of Decline. In Nicolas P. Retsinas and Eric S. Belsky, eds., Revisiting Rental Housing: Policies, Programs, and Priorities. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, PAGE 3

9 predominantly white areas. Families with children encountered discrimination 73 percent of the time. Gaps in opportunity exist throughout the region. Gaps in access to opportunity were identified through an analysis of opportunity indicators including school quality, job access, income equality, access to health care and neighborhood investment. 6 Opportunity gaps in the region were found for school quality, job access especially relative to affordable housing, income equality, neighborhood investment and in fair housing information. Specifically: School quality. Elementary school quality varies widely across the region: more than half of residents in Douglas, Gilpin and Broomfield counties live in neighborhoods with high quality schools but in Adams, Clear Creek, Denver and Weld counties, fewer than onequarter of residents live in a neighborhood with high quality schools. Minorities and children living in poverty, as well as renters, are much less likely to live near high quality schools than the rest of the region s population. Jobs/housing access. There is a large mismatch between affordable homes (priced below $250,000) and job centers in the region. Excluding the relatively small affordable area near the central business district, areas of high job density have no overlap with areas of affordability. Many of the inner ring suburbs have pockets of very low job accessibility and outer ring suburbs, which are farthest from job centers, tend to have very limited transit access and relatively high transportation costs. While transit does provide access to a number of jobs in the region, there are many communities either not well served by transit or only served during normal business hours. There is also a mismatch between job training resources and areas that are most likely to need those resources high proportions of unemployed residents and adults with less than a high school degree. Although most job training centers are located on transit lines, the communities needing to access training are not always well connected, especially for afterhours and/or weekend classes. Income inequality. 49,000 residents live in extremely high poverty neighborhoods (greater than 40%). These areas of high poverty, many of which are occupied by racial and ethnic minorities, are characterized by poor housing condition, below average school quality, high crime and low levels of capital investment. Neighborhood investment. In the Denver region, racially and ethnically concentrated areas, as well as areas with poor housing stock, tend to have high rejection rates for home purchase and home improvement loans. 6 The opportunity measures chosen are not exhaustive of the many indicators of economic opportunity. These were chosen because they were readily available, recommended by stakeholders and/or provided by HUD. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, PAGE 4

10 Gaps in information. The region lacks a coordinated outreach system to educate residents and landlords about their fair housing rights, obligations and responsibilities. Historically, most fair housing organizations in the region have focused on enforcement. The result is that fair housing information is inconsistently available to residents, particularly for those who need it the most. How to Improve Access to Opportunity Strengthening the economic capacity of residents in the Denver region is a complex effort, requiring a diverse set of strategies and collaboration among counties and cities in the region and other public and private entities. Because of the many factors involved in increasing opportunity improving school quality, growing jobs that pay a livable wage, ensuring that residents can live near where they work, providing a range of housing choices to accommodate lifestyle and economic changes improving access to opportunity must be a coordinated, concerted effort. DRCOG s role. DRCOG can play an important role on increasing access to opportunity by strengthening the linkages between affordable housing, educational opportunities, job centers and transit. To this end, it is recommended that DRCOG: Recommendation 1. Begin by establishing a joint effort to address opportunity gaps. The first step in addressing the gaps to opportunity is to convene a set of public and private partners interested in working with DRCOG to improve opportunity. The primary findings from the FHEA could guide a discussion of how each partner could contribute to improving opportunity as well as how to measure progress. For example, a goal may be to improve the regional distribution of for sale housing units priced less than $350,000 in high opportunity neighborhoods. Recommendation 2. Require or reward communities that work to improve their affordable housing imbalances. DRCOG could also take on a more direct role in addressing access to opportunity by prescribing concerted efforts to bring affordable and workforce housing into high opportunity areas. The most successful way to produce geographically-based affordable and workforce housing is through mandates or incentives. To this end, DRCOG could reconsider transportation funding allocation priorities to reward extra points to communities providing a certain proportion of affordable and workforce housing near job centers and/or prioritize transportation projects that are catalysts to revitalization of disadvantaged areas. Recommendation 3. Support efforts to improve school quality in the region s core neighborhoods. It is recognized that Boards of Education and school districts have the most direct influence on improving school quality. Yet DRCOG could be a model for other government organizations by dedicating resources, as available, to support educational improvement in disadvantaged areas. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, PAGE 5

11 Educational support activities that DRCOG could implement might include: providing grants for instructional supports; supporting non-profits that assist at-risk children; and convene leaders to focus on skill building and job training targeting residents in low opportunity areas. Recommendation 4. Take a leadership role on improving housing opportunities and transit for persons with disabilities and older adults. To improve access to opportunity for persons with disabilities and older adults a fast growing population cohort in the region DRCOG s efforts should focus on increasing visitable and accessible housing options and access to transit. Through Area Agency on Aging (AAA) surveys and discussions with residents, DRCOG should explore the demand for expanded and formal rideshare and transit options for persons with disabilities and older adults, particularly older adults in rural areas who lack public transit options. Other leadership opportunities include: partnering with CDOT, RTD, and local jurisdictions to study the accessibility of major transportation and pedestrian corridors; expanding the reach of DRCOG s Boomer Bond initiative to include the needs of the disabled; and developing a comprehensive housing resource guide. Recommendation 5. Launch a fair housing public information campaign and support testing. The region lacks a public information campaign to inform residents about their fair housing rights and responsibilities. Consistent messaging available throughout the region would benefit residents and landlords by increasing awareness of fair housing laws and equalizing access to information. A regional campaign would also avoid duplication of jurisdictional efforts and conserve local resources. 7 Additionally, DRCOG could provide direct financial support or provide data and information to complement testing efforts (e.g., mapping services) done by the Metro Denver Fair Housing Center. Recommendation 6. Provide data and information to help entitlement communities meet their fair housing obligations. All jurisdictions in the region that receive housing and community development funding from HUD are required to conduct an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI). DRCOG possess a wealth of data and information that member communities could use to fulfill their future fair housing report obligations. These obligations will change toward the end of 2014 with the pending release of a new HUD template for fair housing. In addition to supporting data needs DRCOG could partner with entitlement communities to convene fair housing trainings; advise the Metro Denver Fair Housing Center on a fair housing website; and work with partners around the region to build awareness on the issue of fair housing. 7 All jurisdictions that receive HUD block grant funding, either directly or through the state allocation, are required to affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH). The obligation to AFFH includes fair housing outreach and education efforts. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, PAGE 6

12 Next steps. A menu of options for DRCOG has been presented in the above recommendations (more detailed recommendations provided in the full report). Based on a review of how other regional planning agencies are involved in fair housing, many of these recommendations may be firsts for a planning council. Some of the recommendations may require a shift from the core operations of DRCOG. To that end, before selecting from the menu of recommendations, DRCOG should, in concert with the RHS, determine its desired role in regional fair housing efforts. This role will guide how DRCOG decides to participate in and/or lead fair housing activities in metro Denver. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, PAGE 7

13 SECTION I Introduction This document the Fair Housing Equity Assessment (FHEA) is a required component of the Sustainable Communities Initiative grant (SCI). According to HUD, the FHEA is a tool to address the disparate burdens and benefits experienced by different groups across a region. The minimum requirements of a FHEA include an assessment of segregated areas, areas of increasing diversity and/or racial and ethnic integration, racially/ethnically concentrated areas of poverty (RCAP/ECAPs), access to existing areas of opportunity, major public investments and fair housing issues, services, and activities. The FHEA is more than an aggregation of community-level Analyses of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AIs). HUD s recent expansion of FHEAs to include access to opportunity analyses reflects HUD s priority of improving opportunities for all types of residents in a region i.e., preventing a zip code from determining a child s future or an older adult from aging well. According to HUD, equity and access to opportunity are critical underpinnings of the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program. Methodology and Geographic Scope The analysis relies heavily on local data sources and publicly available datasets, listed below, in addition to data provided by HUD specifically for the FHEA. Primary data sources included: Decennial Census the full enumeration of households and their demographic characteristics conducted every 10 years. Limited data on housing characteristics is included in the decennial census. American Community Survey (ACS) a large annual survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau of a sample of households. This survey asks about household demographic, economic and housing characteristics. Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data provided by Genesis Group, a local data provider homes listed and for sale in the Denver region during 2000, 2012 and Metro Denver Vacancy & Rent Report, also a local data provider apartment vacancies and costs. Rental data from which is managed by a nonprofit housing search engine and provider of market research focused on affordable housing. Data in this study are provided at the county level for the counties included in the Denver region. These include: DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION I, PAGE 1

14 Adams County; City and County of Denver; Arapahoe County; Douglas County; Boulder County; Jefferson County; and City and County of Broomfield; Gilpin County. Clear Creek County; A portion of southwest Weld County is also included in the region. As of 2010, 23.5 percent of Weld County s population was part of the Denver region, based on the population of the Weld County Census tracts that are contained within regional boundaries. 1 A note on small area changes. Two of the region s counties Clear Creek and Gilpin had populations of less than 10,000 at the time this report was prepared. In these counties, small fluctuations in demographic, housing or economic conditions can produce large percentage changes. For this reason, numbers, as well as percentages, are presented in many tables, and percent changes are shown as percentage point differences v. percentage growth in numbers. Preliminary Analysis of Access to Opportunity With the award of the SCI grant, HUD provided DRCOG with a number of data sets to analyze opportunity, one of which compared disparities in access to opportunity among protected classes using an opportunity index. According to data provided by HUD for the FHEA, minority groups are experiencing a disparity in access to neighborhood opportunity when compared to non-hispanic whites in the Denver region. 2 Figure I-1 displays the opportunity indices calculated by HUD for the Denver region. Each index reflects a weighted average neighborhood percentile ranking for an opportunity dimension. Higher index values always reflect more favorable characteristics irrespective of the dimension being an asset (e.g., proficient schools) or a stressor (e.g., poverty). The disparities portion of the graphic shows the difference between non-hispanic whites and minority groups. As displayed in the figure, minority groups particularly African Americans and Hispanics fare worse than non-hispanic whites in terms of neighborhood poverty, school proficiency, labor market engagement. All racial and ethnic groups have roughly equivalent access to jobs. However, minorities have better transit access than non-hispanic whites in the region. 1 In this report, aggregate data are shown for the Denver region excluding the Weld County portion and for Weld County overall. Data shown by Census tract include the Weld County tracts that are part of the region. 2 HUD calculates several indices measuring neighborhood characteristics across racial/ethnic groups to determine whether disparities in access to opportunity exist for minorities. Dimensions across which opportunity is measured include poverty, school proficiency, labor market engagement, job access, transit access and health hazards exposure. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION I, PAGE 2

15 Figure I-1. Disparities in Access to Opportunity, Denver Region, 2013 Access to Opportunity Indices Opportunity Dimensions: All Persons Non-Hispanic white African American Hispanic Asian Native American Pacific Islander Poverty Index School Proficiency Index Labor Market Engagement Index Job Access Index Transit Access Index Health Hazards Exposure Index Opportunity Dimensions: NHW - African American Disparities in Access to Opportunity NHW - Hispanic NHW - Asian NHW - Native American NHW - Pacific Islander Poverty Index 21 ** 23 ** 4 ** 14 ** 11 ** School Proficiency Index 26 ** 23 ** 3 ** 14 ** 15 ** Labor Market Engagement Index 18 ** 24 ** 3 ** 15 ** 14 ** Job Access Index 2 ** 2-1 ** 0 ** 2 ** Transit Access Index -23 ** -17 ** -4 ** -11 ** -11 ** Health Hazards Exposure Index Note: ** indicates that a disparity is statistically significant at the 99% level. Source: HUD. Organization of Report The remainder of the report is organized as follows: Section II provides an overview of protected classes in the region. Section III contains an initial analysis of access to opportunity in the region. Section IV reports back the primary findings about fair housing and access to opportunity from the perspective of stakeholders and residents. Section V contains the findings from the stakeholder and resident consultation processes. Section VI contains primary findings from the analysis and recommendations for addressing needs. Appendix A details major public investments and how such investments may improve access to opportunity to low income residents and residents with special needs. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION I, PAGE 3

16 SECTION II Fair Housing Profile This section sets the context for the Fair Housing Equity Assessment (FHEA) by providing an overview of the presence of protected classes in the region, growth in diversity and areas of concentration of certain protected class. The data and analysis in this section inform the Access to Opportunity analysis. Race and ethnicity. According to the 2010 Census, about two-thirds of the metro population is non-hispanic white. Another 22 percent is Hispanic, 5 percent is African American and 4 percent is Asian. Denver and Adams counties have the highest proportion of minorities (48 percent and 47 percent, respectively) while Clear Creek and Gilpin have the lowest (see Figure II-1). Figure II-1. Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, 2010 County Percent of Population by Race/Ethnicity Total Population Non-Hispanic White Total Minorities Hispanic African American Asian Other Minority Multiracial DENVER REGION 2,858,070 67% 33% 22% 5% 4% 1% 2% Adams County 441,603 53% 47% 38% 3% 3% 1% 2% Arapahoe County 572,003 63% 37% 18% 10% 5% 1% 3% Boulder County 294,567 79% 21% 13% 1% 4% 1% 2% Broomfield County 55,889 79% 21% 11% 1% 6% 1% 2% Clear Creek County 9,088 92% 8% 5% 1% 1% 1% 1% Denver County 600,158 52% 48% 32% 10% 3% 1% 2% Douglas County 285,465 85% 15% 7% 1% 4% 0% 2% Gilpin County 5,441 91% 9% 5% 1% 1% 1% 1% Jefferson County 534,543 80% 20% 14% 1% 3% 1% 2% Southwest Weld County 59,313 75% 25% 20% 1% 2% 1% 2% Note: Racial/ethnic categories are mutually exclusive. Other minority includes Native American, Pacific Islanders and some other race. Source: 2010 Census, DRCOG and BBC Research & Consulting. The following maps (Figures II-2 through II-7) show changes in minority populations over time for the region. Historical trends indicate: All minority groups experienced faster growth than non-hispanic whites over the past 30 years Asians had the highest total growth (475 percent), followed by Hispanics (245 percent) then African Americans (80 percent), while non-hispanic whites increased by 42 percent. The Hispanic population is the largest minority group in the region and has historically been concentrated in neighborhoods directly west of downtown Denver, such as Sun Valley. The Highlands and Golden Triangle neighborhoods have also had large Hispanic proportions historically but have recently experienced gentrification and a reduction in the DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 1

17 Hispanic population. Other areas of high Hispanic density have developed in the suburbs immediately north of Denver as well as in Aurora. Historically, the African American population was concentrated northeast of downtown Denver but there has been a shift of the population to the east and southeast and the population has become less densely clustered. Although there is still a strong presence in north Denver, population densities are half what they were in the 1980s. The Asian population is more evenly distributed throughout the region than other minority groups, though there is some clustering in the southeast and northwest suburbs. Areas of increasing or decreasing diversity. Overall, the region increased in diversity between 2000 and 2010 (from 28 percent minority to 33 percent minority). However, changes in diversity were not uniform across neighborhoods. Figure II-8 shows areas in the region that increased in racial and ethnic diversity between 2000 and 2010, which is the vast majority of Census tracts. Diversity is measured by the proportion of the population that is a racial or ethnic minority: An increase in diversity reflects an increase in the proportion of the Census tract population that is minority between 2000 and Conversely, a decrease in diversity reflects a decrease in the proportion of the population that is minority (or an increase in the non-hispanic white population proportion). The most prominent trend exhibited in the map is movement and/or growth of racial and ethnic minorities in first ring suburbs, coupled with a decline of racial and ethnic minorities in the north side of Denver. This trend is consistent with national growth patterns which show a substantial increase in the share of minorities living in metro-area suburbs throughout the 2000s. 1 There was also a decrease in racial/ethnic diversity in southwest Weld County, potentially related to the rapid growth of new housing and residents in the county /5/04%20census%20ethnicity%20frey/0504_census_ethnicity_frey.pdf DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 2

18 Figure II-2. Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, 1960 Source: 1960 Census and DRCOG. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 3

19 Figure II-3. Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, 1970 Source: 1970 Census and DRCOG. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 4

20 Figure II-4. Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, 1980 Source: 1980 Census and DRCOG. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 5

21 Figure II-5. Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, 1990 Source: 1990 Census and DRCOG. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 6

22 Figure II-6. Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, 2000 Source: 2000 Census and DRCOG. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 7

23 Figure II-7. Racial and Ethnic Distribution, Denver Region, 2010 Source: 2010 Census and DRCOG. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 8

24 Figure II-8. Change in Minority Population 2000 to 2010, Denver Region, 2010 Source: 2000 Census, 2010 Census and DRCOG. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 9

25 Foreign born. Along with an increase in racial/ethnic diversity, the Denver region has also experienced an increase in the proportion of the population that is foreign born, from 5 percent in 1980 to 12 percent in Just over half of the region s foreign born population was born in Latin America, with the largest contingent from Mexico. Figure II-9 displays the foreign born population by place of birth for each county in the Denver region. Figure II-9. Proportion of the Population that is Foreign Born by Place of Birth, Denver Region, 2012 Note: Denver region total excludes Weld County. Source: ACS and BBC Research & Consulting. Linguistic isolation. The Census Bureau defines linguistic isolation as households in which no one age 14 and over speaks English only or speaks English very well. Due to language barriers, those households have a much more difficult time accessing services and housing opportunities. Overall, about 4 percent of households in the region are linguistically isolated. Not surprisingly, counties with a higher proportion of minorities, particularly foreign-born minorities, also have higher rates of linguistic isolation. For instance, about 7 percent of Adams County households, 6 percent of Denver households and 5 percent of Arapahoe County households are linguistically isolated. Figure II-10 displays the proportion of households that are linguistically isolated by Census tract for the Denver region. As indicated by the map, there are a high proportion of linguistically isolated households on the west side of Denver, in the inner ring suburbs just north of Denver and in Aurora. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 10

26 Figure II-10. Proportion of Census tract households that are linguistically isolated, Denver Region, 2011 Source: ACS and DRCOG. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 11

27 Minority concentrations and segregated areas. Analysis of racial and ethnic concentrations is important to determine if minorities have the same access to areas of opportunity e.g., quality schools, employment, safe neighborhoods as non-minorities. Racial and ethnic minorities are the focus of this analysis because, historically, they have faced barriers to housing choice more often than non-minorities. HUD prescribes several methods for analyzing racial and ethnic concentrations, also called minority impacted areas, which are discussed on the next page. In the Denver region as a whole, 67 percent of residents are non-hispanic white and 33 percent are minorities (22 percent are Hispanic, 5 percent are black and 4 percent are Asian). However, few neighborhoods mirror that composition residents are more likely to live near neighbors who share their race and ethnicity. Figure II-11 displays where different racial/ethnic groups live by Census tract majority (majority is defined as more than 50 percent of the tract population): In 2010, Hispanic residents were nearly three times as likely as the average resident to live in a Hispanic majority tract (34 percent of Hispanic residents lived in a Hispanic majority tract, compared to 12 percent of the region s residents overall). African American residents were ten times as likely as the average resident to live in an African American majority tract (1.6 percent of African American residents lived in an African American majority tract, compared to 0.1 percent of residents overall). African Americans were also more likely than all other groups to live in a Census tract with no specific racial/ethnic majority. Ninety percent of non-hispanic white residents lived in a Census tract that was majority non-hispanic white, compared to 49 percent of Hispanic residents and 44 percent of African American residents. Figure II-11. Population Distribution by Census Tract Majority, Denver Region, 2010 Note: There are no Asian majority Census tracts and there is only one African American majority tract in the Denver metro region. Non-majority tracts include all tracts in which no specific racial/ethnic group is a majority. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 12

28 Source: 2010 Census, DRCOG and BBC Research & Consulting. Concentration maps. The maps on the following pages show geographically where residents of different races and ethnicities may be concentrated within the Denver region. These racial and ethnic concentration maps and analysis use HUD s definition of minority impacted areas: A minority area (also known as a racially/ethnically-impacted area) is any neighborhood or Census tract in which: 1) The percentage of households in a particular racial or ethnic minority group is at least 20 percentage points higher than the percentage of that minority group for the housing market areas; 2) The total percentage of minority persons is at least 20 percentage points higher than the total percentage of all minorities in the housing market areas as a whole; or 3) If a metropolitan area, the total percentage of minority persons exceeds 50 percent of its population. A non-minority area is a neighborhood or Census tract with a greater than 90 percent non-minority population. A mixed area is a neighborhood or Census tract that is not a non-minority or minority area. The housing market area is the region where it is likely that renters and purchasers would be drawn for a particular housing project. Generally the housing market area is the county. The following analysis includes maps using HUD s 20 percentage point threshold for individual minority groups and HUD s 50 percent definition for total minorities. The 20 percentage point threshold is defined by county (racial/ethnic distribution by county is displayed in Figure II-1). The information contained in the maps includes the following: Individual minority concentrations. Figure II-12 shows Hispanic impacted Census tracts in the region and Figure II-13 shows African American impacted Census tracts in the region. An analysis of Asian impacted Census tracts found none therefore no map is provided. Eighty-three Census tracts have a Hispanic concentration, most of which are located in the north and southwest portions of Denver, the inner ring suburbs to the north, east and west of Denver as well as in portions of Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette, Brighton and southwest Weld County. There are 12 African American impacted Census tracts 10 in northeast Denver and two in Aurora. 2 Total minority concentrations. Figure II-14 shows Census tracts that are more than 50 percent minority. This includes non-hispanic residents of all races except for white plus Hispanic or Latino residents of any race. Tracts that are majority minority (greater than 50% minority) follow a pattern similar to that seen in the Hispanic and African American impacted tracts. Majority minority 2 There are 699 Census tracts in the region. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 13

29 communities are prevalent in southwest, north and northeast Denver; inner ring suburbs north and east of Denver; as well as in Longmont, Brighton and southwest Weld County. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 14

30 Figure II-12. Census Tracts with Hispanic Impacted Areas, Denver Region, 2010 Note: This map uses HUD's definition of "racially/ethnically impacted area." A Census tract is "impacted" when the percentages of residents in a particular racial or ethnic minority group is at least 20 percentage points higher than the percentage of that minority group for the county overall. Source: 2010 Census, DRCOG and BBC Research & Consulting. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 15

31 Figure II-13. Census Tracts with African American Impacted Areas, Denver Region, 2010 Note: This map uses HUD's definition of "racially/ethnically impacted area." A Census tract is "impacted" when the percentages of residents in a particular racial or ethnic minority group is at least 20 percentage points higher than the percentage of that minority group for the county overall. Source: 2010 Census, DRCOG and BBC Research & Consulting. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 16

32 Figure II-14. Census Tracts Greater than 50% Minority Concentration, Denver Region, 2010 Note: This map uses HUD's definition of "racially/ethnically impacted area." In an urban area, HUD defines an "impacted" Census tract as one where more than 50 percent of its population is made up of minorities. Source: 2010 Census, DRCOG and BBC Research & Consulting. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 17

33 Racially/ethnically concentrated areas of poverty. Areas of racial and ethnic concentration are not, per se, areas lacking opportunity. Many areas that are racially and ethnically concentrated offer high opportunity amenities. It is therefore important to examine racial and ethnic concentrations in the context of other variables: poverty and income diversity, existence of affordable housing, neighborhood safety, and location of community amenities. This section of the report examines racially and ethnically concentrated areas and areas of concentrated poverty. Section III, the Access to Opportunity analysis, examines minority concentrations and access to affordable housing, quality schools, neighborhood conditions and transit. Racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, also known by HUD as RCAPs or ECAPs, are areas in which there are both racial concentrations and high poverty rates. Specifically, they are Census tracts that have family poverty rates exceeding 40 percent or three times the regional poverty rate and are majority minority (minorities account for 50% or more of the total population). 3 Altogether, 37 Census tracts in the region are RCAPs/ECAPs; 20 are located in Denver County, 8 are in Adams County, 8 are in Arapahoe County and one is located in Boulder County. Together, these RCAPs/ECAPs represent 5 percent of Census tracts in the region. Among the 150,750 people living in RCAPs/ECAPs, over half (57%) are in Denver, 20 percent are in Arapahoe County, 19 percent are in Adams County and 4 percent are in Boulder County. Figure II-15. Residents of RCAPs/ECAPs, 2010 Figure II-15 displays the population of RCAPs/ECAPs by county. Geographic locations of RCAPs and ECAPs for the Denver region are shown in Figure II-16. Source: 2010 Census, DRCOG and BBC Research & Consulting. 3 The regional poverty measure is defined by core based statistical area (CBSA) and is 9 percent for all portions of the Denver region, excluding Boulder (7%) and Weld (10%) counties. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 18

34 Figure II-16. Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty, Denver Region, 2010 Source: 2010 Census and DRCOG. DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 19

35 In the region as a whole, African Americans and Hispanics have highest shares of residents living in RCAPs or ECAPs: 13 percent of African Americans and 14 percent of Hispanics live in RCAP/ECAPs, compared to 5 percent of Asians and 6 percent of other minorities. Overall, 5 percent the region s population lives in RCAPs or ECAPs. As displayed in Figure IV-17, those proportions differ within each county that contains RCAPs/ECAPs. In Adams County, nearly 20 percent of African Americans live in RCAPs or ECAPs and in Denver County, 28 percent of Hispanic residents live in RCAPs or ECAPs. Denver has the highest proportion of total residents living in RCAPs or ECAPs (14%). Figure II-17. Proportion of Residents Living in RCAPs or ECAPs, Denver Region, 2010 Source: 2010 Census, DRCOG and BBC Research & Consulting. Dissimilarity index. The dissimilarity index is another measure of racial and ethnic concentration prescribed by HUD. The dissimilarity index is a way to measure evenness in which two separate groups are distributed across geographic units such as Census tracts that make up a larger geographic area such as a county. The index typically compares the proportion of the total population of a minority group in a Census tract and the proportion of the total number of the majority population (generally non- Hispanic whites) in that same Census tract. The dissimilarity index is somewhere between 0 and 1. An index near 0 indicates perfect distribution of racial groups across all Census tracts in a region. An index of 1 indicates perfect segregation of racial groups across the region. As an example, one of the most segregated cities for whites and African Americans in the U.S. is Detroit, which has historically had a dissimilarity index exceeding DENVER REGION FAIR HOUSING EQUITY ASSESSMENT SECTION II, PAGE 20