Affordable, mixed-income housing and racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods are a benefit—both economically and socially—to all our residents.
In 2014, the Westchester County Executive turned to 50 community leaders for their insights about the economic future of the county. To them, the greatest asset for attracting new businesses was the strength of the county's talent pool and the best way to recruit and retain that talent was to offer a larger variety of mixed-income housing choices. On the other hand, youth flight—young people leaving Westchester for better jobs and housing opportunities—was seen as a potential threat to the county's economic prosperity.
Benefits of Mixed-Income Housing
- Mixed income housing promotes racially and ethnically diverse communities, providing a nurturing environment with diverse schools to raise children
- Mixed income housing provides opportunities for seniors and young adults to stay in their communities at prices they can afford
- Mixed income housing promotes economic empowerment and integration
- Mixed income housing helps the local workforce, including volunteer first responders, live in the same community where they work
- Mixed income housing revitalizes distressed areas
Benefits of Racially and Ethnically Integrated Communities
- Diversity contributes to greater tolerance, fair-mindedness and openness to diverse networks and settings
- Diversity broadens the range of cultural experiences available
- Diversity is a magnet for talent, stimulates new ideas and spurs economic growth
- Diversity in the classroom improves students' academic outcomes and social growth. Schools flourish because contact with people with different perspectives, different backgrounds and different lifestyles helps us understand the world around us. Our children grow up to be more culturally sensitive, deal better with diverse work situations, and are less likely to apply racial stereotypes
Resources
Mixed-Income Housing and the Home Program, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Mixed-Income Living: Anticipated and Realized Benefits for Low-Income Households, Diane K. Levy, Zach McDade and Kassie Bertumen
Promoting Neighborhood Diversity: Benefits, Barriers and Strategies, Margery Austin Turner and Lynette Rawlings.
Cosmopolitan Masala: Diversity Enriches Us All, Phillippe Legrain
Do We Know More Now? Trends in Public Knowledge, Support and Use of Fair Housing Law, Martin D. Abravanel
Housing Discrimination Against Racial and Ethnic Minorities, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Rethinking the Effects of Immigration on Wages, Gianmarco I.P. Ottaviano and Giovanni Peri
Benefits of Diverse Communities, National Fair Housing Alliance
The Benefits of Diversity: What the Research Tells Us, Daryl G. Smith and Natalie B. Schonfeld
How Diversity Makes Us Smarter, Katherine W. Phillips
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
National Community Reinvestment Coalition
National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders
Note: These resources and links are being provided for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the County of Westchester of the information or opinions expressed therein. The County of Westchester bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external sites or for that of subsequent links.