Savannah is one of the most beautiful and historic cities in America with a majority population of Black residents. However, it is no stranger to racial inequality. When settlers arrived, there was a significant Native American population; however, as of 2020, only one percent of the population identifies as American Indian. Subsequently, slavery was prevalent and in 1859, the largest single sale of enslaved people in United States history occurred in western Savannah. ... Read More
Savannah is one of the most beautiful and historic cities in America with a majority population of Black residents. However, it is no stranger to racial inequality. When settlers arrived, there was a significant Native American population; however, as of 2020, only one percent of the population identifies as American Indian. Subsequently, slavery was prevalent and in 1859, the largest single sale of enslaved people in United States history occurred in western Savannah.
Interestingly, in 1968, US Interstate-16 bisected what is now Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, demolishing a thriving district for Black businesses, which actually served to cut off neighborhoods and hinder economic development in the area; I-516 and/or Route 17 is thought to have done the same—establishing physical segregation, of sorts, between western Savannah and the higher valued downtown residents. (www.savannahga.gov/MunicipalArchives)
Throughout the 1980s, many homes across Savannah deteriorated into blighted, crime-riddled properties. Places where families once gathered became uninhabitable spaces. This is likely attributable to the long-term economic wealth gap that has made access to capital and credit difficult—especially to persons of color. Chatham County residents who are Black earn much less, on average than their White peers ($22,213 vs. $41,883, respectively). And in 2020, banks received only one mortgage application from a Black Savannah resident for every five received from White residents. The value of homes in majority Black Savannah neighborhoods averages 23% below homes in majority White neighborhoods.
"Racial equity is about applying justice and a little bit of common sense to a system that's been out of balance. When a system is out of balance, people of color feel the impacts most acutely, but, to be clear, an imbalanced system makes all of us pay." (Glenn Harris, President, Race Forward and Publisher, Colorlines)
The Volunteer/Minor Home Repair program helps facilitate repairs to low- and moderate-income (LMI) homeowners, commonly in disinvested neighborhoods, who are possibly LMI due to systemic racial barriers and the historical atrocities mentioned above. CHSA is a minority-led Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with a vibrantly composed Board of Directors.
Savannah has a long history of operating one of the nation's most successful Volunteer/Minor Home Repair Programs serving low-income families, seniors, veterans, and underserved homeowners through the CHSA administered Savannah Affordable Housing Fund. Under this program, volunteer groups install materials purchased through the program on the homes of income qualified, elderly, and disabled residents.
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