1. Sabine Dabady, MPH Candidate Capstone Presentation April 4, 2017
Public Housing as Incubators for Food-Centered Activities: A Policy Consideration
Sabine Dabady, MPH Candidate
Capstone Presentation
April 4, 2017

2. Meet a NYCHA Gardener
I’ve included this dorky photo of me and my grandmother, who tended one of over 700 New York City Housing Authority Gardens (circa 1998). I spent a lot of time in these gardens with my grandmother and am happy to be able to present a capstone that has personal relevance. The food-oriented activities of NYCHA are the inspiration for how CA may adopt policies that harness the potential in the space of public housing coupled with food-related activities to also address critical community and population level needs/inequities. The question is how does a NY context get translated in CA context?

3. Overview
Origins and definition of public housing
Public housing vs. affordable housing
Why connect public housing and food/food- activities?
Can we do this?
Questions & comments

4. Primer on U.S. Public Housing
Federally funded rental housing
The New Deal
United States Housing Act, 1937
Goal: move white middle & working class families out of poverty
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Public housing - rental housing managed by local housing authorities for eligible low-income families, seniors or people living with disabilities based on income limits of one’s county or metropolitan area. US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administers Federal aid to local housing agencies (HAs) that manage the housing for low-income residents at rents they can afford.
Primary objective : job creation through building of new structures and 2nd goal of providing decent housing
-note that was successful, many of the initial residents moved out of poverty and even left bldgs., however in 1960s
Source: Library of Congress

5. Public vs. Affordable Housing
No direct assistance
Tax incentives to developers
Spending >30% of income on housing.
~12 million households
Direct assistance to procure housing
Managed by local housing authorities (LHAs)
Income limits 30%-80% of median area income.
~1.2 million households
Low income is 80% of area median income
Very low income is 50% of area median income
Extremely low income is 30% of area median income
Area Median income calculated from data obtained via US Census American Community Survey
Section-8 - subsidy for extremely to very low income people (dependent on the voucher they may be able to choose where they want to live
Affordable Housing:
Low-income Housing Tax Credit
Over 50% is common
Households in renters/homeowners
HUD fact: “A family with one full-time worker earning the minimum wage cannot afford the local fair-market rent for a two-bedroom apartment anywhere in the United States.”

6. WHY Focus on Public Housing and Food Connection?
Land Access
Institutionally –anchored programming
Food production
Economic stimulus/job creation
Key question to ask: I’ve provided an outline of public housing nationally but what is the connection to food?
Firstly, what food-related activities show potential for residents of public housing have? Secondly, which is discussed in next slide is what food related needs do residents of public housing have?
No. 1
Public land is the most affordable land available
No.2.
Power of an institution/size – note NYCHAs over 600,000 residents, 2500 buildings operated over 328 sites, 2500 acres of land day care/senior centers etc
Image (L) Green City Force impact of farm: grew 1.7 tons of food there in the farm’s inaugural year
Image (R) Grad of Opportunities NYCHA
Additional assets of community spaces, culture sharing, civic engagement, can’t be ignored
Source: NYC Community Trusts
Source: Opportunities NYCHA

7. WHY Focus on Public Housing and Food Connection?
Serving low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities.
Chronic disease (diet and non-diet related)
Food Security
Food Access
Equity
Key question to ask is I’ve provided an outline of public housing nationally but what is the connection to food?
The connection is what food related needs do residents of public housing have? Second is what food-related activities show potential for residents of public housing have?
No. 1
Nationally, 89% of households receiving rental housing support are seniors, families, people w/disabilities
In NY it’s 85%, CA, 90% (Source is Center for Budget and Policy Priorities)
(Note individuals and families eligible for Medicaid/CHIP (child health insurance program)
No. 2 & No 3.
SNAP, children free/reduced breakfast & lunch, some for TANF aka welfare. Public housing recreational centers often sites for seniors and young people to receive meals, during school year and summer
(affordable, high quality, and culturally prefered food, for populations with high population with reduced mobility, close proximity is critical)
Activities connected to this: Community Gardens
Urban Farms
Rooftop Farms
Farmer’s Markets/Produce Stands
Farm to Institution purchasing programs
Healthy bodegas
Mobile Vending (passed in March in Oakland)
Zoning to encourage supermarkets
Biz Incubators
Work force development

8. CA & NY Households Federal Rental Assistance
Public housing: CA
225,200 NY housing choice voucher
303,200 CA housing choice voucher
202,500 NY Public Housing
28, 700 CA public housing
The issue of scale is not comparable in any way. The same density and hub like activity in NY are not replicable in the same way in CA
Housing Authorities method for governing for example gardens is not uniform. Hard to know exact number of gardens, not permitted everywhere
Next steps are to shift the lens that I’m thinking from. NYCHA can only offer programmatic elements and not modes of doing this work. Focus on programmatic work and how that can potentially be expanded.

9. Study Bonanza Crew
Graham Gardner
Dr. Barbara Laraia
Dr. Lia Fernald
Carol Hui
Rob Bennaton

11. Additional thoughts? Email sad01@berkeley.edu