Racial Wealth Gap

The role of ‘heirs property’ in eroding Black families’ wealth

Newly released data on home appraisal practices is a step forward in the fight against racially biased appraisals. There’s still a long way to go.

How can we get more accessory dwelling units built, keep them affordable, and make them forces for increasing racial equity?

Over the last two decades homeowners and investors have increasingly treated housing as a financial asset, like stocks or bonds. How has this changed the housing market for the worse, and how can we fix it?

How did the racial wealth gap begin? And why has it been so hard to fix? Shelterforce’s Miriam Axel-Lute and others discuss these topics in a webinar hosted by County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.

Four leaders in the field discuss strategic approaches to closing the racial wealth gap.

Outdated tax sale rules and predatory investment practices keep Baltimore homes in a revolving door of vacancy. But that could soon change.

Between biased property appraisals that undervalue Black-owned properties and biased tax assessments that levy an unfair burden, homeowners of color are flanked by a double-whammy of racism.

Authors from Shelterforce’s recent series about the racial wealth gap and other experts talk wealth building, wealth extraction, and the tools available to help close the gap.

The Community Reinvestment Act was created to address racist lending practices, but it doesn’t specify race. Special purpose credit programs could help.

Programs that help households of color buy homes haven’t made much of a dent in the racial wealth gap. But some strategies could generate better outcomes for buyers.

Despite the hopes pinned on it, homeownership is currently too affected by racism at every turn to be an equalizer.