Social Equity
Spatial Analysis
Fig 1. Percentage Black/African American
The “Percentage Black/African American” map shows the percentage of Black residents of each census tract in Chatham County. A darker blue represents an area with a higher concentration of Black residents (ARC, 2019). This data comes from the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Fig 2. Housing Burden
The “Housing Burden” Map shows the percentage of households in each census tract that are burdened with housing problems. A darker purple represents an area with a higher percentage of burdened households (HUD, 2019). This data comes from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development with the help of Mosaic Community Planning.
Figure 3. Unemployment Rate
The “Unemployment Rate” Map comes from the Economic team and shows the unemployment rate by area within Chatham County. The unemployment rate variable represents the percent of Chatham County residents that are jobless despite them actively seeking work. Lighter colors represent lower unemployment rates which exhibit a stronger economic base within the area, while darker colors exhibit higher unemployment rates which convey an underlying economic vulnerability for that area (ARC, 2017). This data comes from the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Figure 4. Groundwater Pollution
The “Groundwater Pollution” Map comes from the Environmental team, and it shows which areas of the city are more likely to be affected by pollution trickling down into this underground layer (SAGIS, 2019). The city of Savannah sources its water from either the Savannah River or the Floridan aquifer, which is an underground layer of water (Water Supply And Treatment - Water Quality., n.d.). This data comes from the Savannah Area Geographic Information System.
​
Problems Identified
We found correlation between higher housing burden rates, higher unemployment rates, and greater percentages of Black residents in the downtown Savannah area. Additionally, there was a correlation between census tracts with less housing burden, lower unemployment rates, and a greater percentage White population. These correlations can be seen in the following maps:
Figure 1 vs Figure 2- Correlation Between Housing Burden and Race
Figure 1 vs Figure 3 - Correlation Between Unemployment Rate and Race
The intersection of greater housing burden and higher unemployment rates indicates greater financial burden and stress. While risk of groundwater pollution affects all households in the downtown area, the population with a greater financial stress may be less able to adapt to the effects of groundwater pollution such as water borne illnesses (Arcadia, 2017).
​
This area of Savannah clearly demonstrates a sharp geographic divide in socioeconomic status and how it directly correlates with race. The areas on the map that are at least 85% White never experienced the worst cases of housing burden (greater than 53%) or unemployment rates (greater than 15%).
Actions by the City of Savannah
Savannah has taken significant steps as a city to address the issue of housing burden. Established in 2011, the Savannah Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF) helps fund the construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing units, as well as financially assisting homebuyers, renters, landlords, developers with loans and downpayments for low-income individuals (Savannah Affordable Housing Fund, 2020). SAHF has contributed over $18 million in investments and has been involved in over 300 projects (Savannah Affordable Housing Fund, 2020). The following are specific initiatives recorded in the City of Savannah Assessment of Fair Housing in 2017:
-
Partner with the Housing Authority of Savannah to hold an annual informational forum for landlords and property managers on the benefits of the HCV program and the obligations and responsibilities of tenants, landlords and the public housing authority under the voucher program (Annually, Q2 beginning 2018) (Mosaic Community Planning, 2017)
-
Conduct fair housing education workshops (Quarterly, beginning Q1, 2018) (Mosaic Community Planning, 2017)
-
Fund fair housing enforcement services (Annually, January); OR Establish a portal on the City’s website for registration of fair housing discrimination complaints (Q3, 2017) (Mosaic Community Planning, 2017)
-
Establish a neighborhood revitalization program: 50 dwellings repaired/ constructed, $5 M in housing investment (Private, CDBG, HOME), $250K in City-financed infrastructure improvements (Begin 2018, end 2020) (Mosaic Community Planning, 2017)
-
Partner with the State of Georgia ADA Coordinator's Office to deliver a training session on fair housing accessibility issues to local code enforcement officials, design professionals and property owners (Q4, 2018) (Mosaic Community Planning, 2017)
Policy implementation towards groundwater contamination, unemployment, and racial inequity are not as robust as housing affordability, but still exist in the city. Savannah currently uses external tools and programs to address unemployment. Employ Georgia by the Department of Labor (DOL) is an online tool to help job seekers get matched with a job that they are qualified for (GDOL, n.d.). Savannah River Site Groundwater Management Program (SRS, 2016) purpose is to protect, monitor, remediate, and use groundwater. This program does the following: ensures future groundwater contamination does not occur, monitors groundwater to identify areas of contamination, remediates groundwater contamination as needed, snd conserves groundwater.During a Black Lives Matter protest, Mayor Johnson announced a task force that would be dedicated to racial bias and inequities and work on solving those issues within the city (Jones, 2020), however there is no information about this task force on the city’s website.
Actions by Other Cities
To address the issues identified by the social equity analysis, we can refer to policy action of other cities as case studies towards recommending solutions for the City of Savannah.
​
Austin, Texas, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Anaheim, California all have put forward programs to alleviate housing burden in low-income communities. In Austin, local governments give voters the ability to vote on how funds are allocated in their city/ Voters said yes to a $250 million affordable housing bond which supports rental assistance, affordable home ownership, and home repair programs (Sukumaran, 2019).
​
The funding will be put toward the Austin Housing Finance Corporation, which will use it to buy land and build houses for low-income residents (Sukumaran, 2019). St. Paul gives a property tax break of 40% if landlords keep at least a fifth of the building’s units affordable for low-income tenants (Walsh, 2019). Anaheim has a program similar to St. Louis. The city gives a vacant lot to a developer as a part of an agreement to build an affordable housing complex with 20% of the units being for homeless households (Sukumaran, 2019).
​
A possible solution towards unemployment could be found in the same state. Atlanta, Georgia’s Westside Works program, located in the historical Westside neighborhood, “is a long-term neighborhood program focused on creating employment opportunities and job training for residents of the Westside community” (Westside Works, n.d., p. 1). The program consists of four steps including an initial assessment, development, placement, and support services. Westside Works placed 701 residents into full time employment by January of 2019 (Westside Works, n.d.).
​
In the 1990s, the residents of Waupaca, Wisconsin found elevated levels of nitrates in the groundwater which was their major source of drinking water. The city government, technical experts, and citizens developed a wellhead protection plan that included nitrate level tracking. The data received from this was used in land use decision making and the commission provided educational crop consulting services to farmers about nitrate reduction. By 2009, the city reported average nitrate concentrations below the EPA’s max contaminant level (EPA, nd).