Race Equity in Homelessness

There’s been some interesting new work on race equity in homelessness.

In March 2018, Supporting Partnerships for Anti-Racist Communities (SPARC), a project of the Center for Social Innovation, released the results of a research study in six communities. The study found that blacks and Native Americans were overrepresented in the homeless population as compared to the general population, and that this is not attributable only to the overrepresentation of these groups among people living in deep poverty (at or below 50% of the Federal poverty level). The level of homelessness among these populations exceeded the proportions of the populations living in deep poverty.

Take a look at the study here.

The Springfield-Hampden County CoC has volunteered to be part of a Built for Zero pilot project to work with other communities and a guide to review our own data and strategize about how to respond to what the data is showing us. The pilot will be for a few months, and will consist of regular phone calls and some data analysis. The first call is August 9, 2-3 pm.

If you have the interest and time to participate in this project, please email me at gmccafferty@springfieldcityhall.com. Keep in mind that I am looking for one or two committed people who have time and energy to devote to this.