The community of Eight Mile, Alabama, has been affected by a spill of mercaptan (the chemical placed in gas to give the вЂњrotten eggвЂќ smell in case of a leak) by the gas utility company in the area. For the past five years, NCRC has worked on a housing and chemical spill case that has discriminatory effects on both peopleвЂ™s health and the environment. Most people donвЂ™t initially connect housing discrimination with environmental impacts as they view discriminatory impacts to only affect an individualвЂ™s housing choice. This loss of wealth continues to perpetuate the racial wealth divide. Homes in Black neighborhoods do not appraise for the same amount as similar homes in White neighborhoods, and by not appraising for the same amount, Black homeowners miss out on this additional wealth. However, the opportunity to utilize this wealth-building tool is not available to Black homeowners in the same way as it is to White homeowners. ДЇor most people, the equity that a house generates is their only wealth-building tool to be used to fund old age and/or as an inheritance for their children.

Socioeconomic status differences between races include employment and education, both of which affect health and a personвЂ™s ability to build wealth. The lack of use of this provision and the decimation of using a rule to enforce fair housing throughout the country have contributed to African Americans not having equal access to adequate schools, food and health care.ДЄ report from Brookings Institute found, вЂњAfrican Americans are disproportionately treated at health care facilities with the fewest technological resources, the most poorly trained professionals and least experienced clinicians serve predominantly black patient populations.вЂќ Public health reports show that racial residential segregation is a fundamental cause of health care disparities between Whites and Blacks. The AFFH rule is designed so that everyone, no matter their race, can live in a non-segregated neighborhood. The poor implementation of affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) has also taken a significant toll on the health of African Americans. A recent NCRC report found that вЂњthe COVID-19 case rate in the five most segregated neighborhoods was twice that of the COVID-19 case rate in the five least segregated neighborhoods.вЂќ Living in a segregated neighborhood has a significant effect on a personвЂ™s health outcomes. Many of the neighborhoods redlined back in the 1920s-1940s are still segregated today. Redlining, the intentional decision not to provide mortgage loans in minority communities, specifically African American communities, led to the formation and enhancement of segregated neighborhoods. The housing arena includes: renting a house, buying a house (sales), getting a mortgage (lending), appraisals and homeownerвЂ™s insurance.ДЇHA was also a key piece of legislation meant to undo decades of systemic racism in the housing arena known today as redlining. FHA prohibits discrimination based upon race, color, national origin, religion, gender, disability or familial status in the housing arena. Martin Luther King Jr., Congress passed FHA, which was the final piece of the civil rights legislation passed in the 1960s. In 1967, eight days after the assassination of Dr. Segregation and discrimination in housing harm peopleвЂ™s health, their ability to accumulate wealth and the environment. And yet, housing discrimination and segregation still persist, causing long-term societal effects in America. Fair housing is a civil right protected by the Fair Housing Act (FHA).

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