1. Environmental Justice in Site Selection
Intermountain Fair Housing Council, Inc.
The work that provided the basis for this presentation was supported by funding under a grant with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The creator is solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this presentation. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the federal government.

2. Environmental Justice in Site Selection
HUD’s Environmental Justice Strategy Update is found at:
id=HUDEnvJustStratUBF.pdf
In April 2012, HUD published its Departmental Environmental Justice Strategy. HUD is committed to meeting the goals of Executive Order , "Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations," which states that each federal agency, with the law as its guide, should make environmental justice part of its mission.
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3. Environmental Justice in Site Selection
HUD has developed its Environmental Justice Strategy (EJ Strategy) which is a four-year plan to address environmental justice concerns and increase access to environmental benefits through HUD policies, programs, and activities.
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4. Environmental Justice in Site Selection
HUD will continue to work with the Inter- Agency Working Group and other federal partners to engage stakeholders through outreach, education, and stakeholder events and respond to public comments through its annual implementation reports.
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5. Environmental Justice in Site Selection
HUD has also launched a new Switchboard page to allow the public to provide input into the process.
Switchboard is an interactive website for ideas, feedback, and crowdsourcing. An EJ Strategy update is at: enviromental-justice-strategy.
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6. Environmental Justice in Site Selection
The release of HUD's EJ Strategy is part of the latest step in a larger Administration-wide effort to ensure strong protection from environmental and health hazards for all community members.
HUD is developing a clear, easily accessible process to get assistance and or raise EJ complaints with HUD.
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7. Environmental Justice Strategy
Greater inclusion and transparency in public participation in Community Development Block Grant process.
Greater inclusion and transparency in the fair housing planning process.
Grant funds and community/public participation in EJ strategies.
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8. Environmental Justice Goals
Siting housing developments in locations free of environmental hazards and in high economic opportunity areas—do residents have access to healthy, affordable food, public transit, healthcare facilities, quality educational institutions, income/jobs, etc.
Addressing gentrification, disaster-related displacement, and right-of-return in HUD- assisted housing.
Right of return addresses concerns post-Sandy and Katrina, Flint, etc.
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9. Environmental Justice Goals
Connecting rural communities to HUD funding and discretionary programs.
Accessing broadband internet.
Preventing linguistic isolation and addressing literacy levels of residents to meet EJ needs.
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10. Environmental Justice Goals
Comprehensive neighborhood revitalization with respect to crime and violence prevention strategies.
See the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.
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11. Environmental Justice Goals
The Choice Neighborhood promotes:
Revitalization,
Sustainability (Green Building practices),
Livability (reducing crime and violence), and
Accessibility
Including universal design--meaning that the design is inherently accessible to older people, people without disabilities, and people with disabilities, and
Including visitability or ease of access for persons with disabilities.
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12. Environmental Justice Goals
Use of green building efforts in HUD-assisted Housing reaching low-income and other vulnerable communities to address affordable housing, reduce air pollution, conserve natural resources, improve public health, and increase emergency preparedness.
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13. Environmental Justice Goals
Address healthy homes issues including lead, structural integrity, material composition, radon mitigation, indoor air and water quality, presence of pests and chemical exposure including smoke—homes must be dry, clean, pest-free, contaminant-free, safe, well-ventilated, well- maintained, and thermally-controlled.
Address the connection between the home and the community with regard to design elements.
Collaboration with HHS, USDA, EPA, Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes
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14. EJ and Fair Housing
Considering Environmental Justice issues in the site selection of housing helps the community and entitlement jurisdictions meet its obligation under the Fair Housing Act to affirmatively further fair housing or address barriers to fair housing choice.
AFFH is 42 USC 3608
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15. EJ and the Qualified Allocation Plan
Some concerns raised regarding EJ and the QAP:
Look at what extent the QAPs contain selection criteria aimed at expanding housing choice and increasing the supply of open housing and fostering more inclusive communities. 
Examine whether the QAP incorporates criteria to ensure that LIHTC siting decisions do not increase or perpetuate residential segregation in low opportunity areas. 
Examine whether the QAPs enable you to meet your legal obligation to affirmatively further fair housing.
Does the LIHTC program exacerbate poverty concentration and racial segregation because they are sited in areas with high number of minorities and or impoverished neighborhoods/low economic opportunity areas. 
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16. EJ and the Qualified Allocation Plan
Some concerns raised regarding EJ and the QAP:
Does QAP scoring expand housing choice, increase the supply of open housing, foster inclusive communities, ensure LIHTC complexes are sited in high economic opportunity areas that are not increasing and or perpetuating residential segregation with environmental hazards. 
QAP programs should proactively identify and eliminate barriers to developing tax credit housing for families in low-poverty areas so they have housing choice in high economic opportunity areas, and that the program provide incentives to promote development of mixed-income housing that includes both affordable and market-rate units. 
These corrective steps help produce a more balanced distribution of affordable housing units throughout the area and in various regions of the State.  You will want to monitor whether the tax credit allocation data shows that it is addressing barriers to housing choice for diversity using demographic and occupancy information, marketing and design and construction review.
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17. EJ and the Qualified Allocation Plan
Some concerns raised regarding EJ and the QAP:
Housing or housing plans that exclude families with children may be a fair housing barrier;
Because of NIMBYISM, developers are deterred and or don’t want to build housing for families and favor building senior housing;
Development is steering families outside of urban areas, out of high economic opportunity areas, and or centers of downtown— does the QAP exacerbate development; and
Does the QAP promote development in high economic opportunity areas and housing for families with children as well as other community members.
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18. Requirement 1. An accessible building entrance on an accessible route.
The 7 Basic Design and Construction Requirements under the Fair Housing Act  
Requirement 1. An accessible building entrance on an accessible route.
Requirement 2. Accessible public and common use areas.
Requirement 3. Usable doors (by a person in a wheelchair/with mobility impairment).
Requirement 4. Accessible route into and through the dwelling unit
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19. The 7 Basic Design and Construction Requirements under the Fair Housing Act
Requirement 5. Environmental controls in accessible locations.
Requirement 6. Reinforced walls in bathrooms for later installation of grab bars.
Requirement 7. Usable kitchens and bathrooms.
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20. The 7 Basic Design and Construction Requirements under the Fair Housing Act
Call Accessibility First toll-free Design and Construction Resource Center: (888) (V/TTY)
Additional resources:
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or
(TDD)
Intermountain Fair Housing Council, Inc.
(208) in Boise
(toll-free) or
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21. Questions???
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or (TDD) Intermountain Fair Housing Council, Inc. (208) in Boise (toll-free) or
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