Public Housing Policy Affects All of Us
That includes students in RPS
By Nathan Arries
My name is Nathan Arries and I am both nearsighted and on the autism spectrum. These disabilities mean I am reliant on social security disability insurance. I receive about 1400 a month, which is just about enough to live on. I don’t have a family to support, so it is just about enough to live for one. My rent is $650. I spend half my income in rent. This is very burdensome.
However, there are many people in Richmond who struggle even more than I to pay rent. Richmond leads the nation in evictions and has a sizable number of residents that lack stable housing. This includes the residents in Creighton Court and other public housing developments who face a hostile governing body in the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Association (RRHA).
Due to RRHA’s policy of neglect, Creighton is set to be demolished in May. What is more insidious is the site of demolished of public housing will be repurposed to more upscale and expensive housing. This will not only affect public housing residents but also the wider Richmond Community. Expensive new housing in one area means expensive housing for everyone as rents rise due to market forces. There is no reliable plan to find new housing for displaced residents.
This is unacceptable, considering that many children will be made homeless by this demolition of public housing. RPS students are already being affected by housing loss. Woodville Elementary, which serves residents of Creighton Court, has seen a gradual decline since RRHA started boarding up units. In the 2018–2019 school year Woodville enrolled 413 students. Last year it enrolled 374.
It’s clear RPS expects more students to be displaced because Superintendent Jason Kamras recommended closing Woodville Elementary and redirecting remaining students to a larger, rebuilt Fairfield Court Elementary. School closures are disruptive to families and communities. They disproportionately affect Black and Brown communities like the community at Woodville. Woodville Elementary currently enrolls 95% African American students and 86% of its population are students with disabilities. What happens to these students when we demolish their housing and their schools?
The way we treat Creighton Court residents in city policy affects all of us. As I mentioned before, I already spend half my income on rent and I cannot afford to pay more as housing costs rise. This combination of demolition, eviction and inflation is a threat to my ability to live in Richmond as a disabled person receiving SSDI. I am not the only person facing this hardship. Public housing residents and disabled people receiving public assistance are merely the first hurt by decreased public support, rising rents and property costs. Therefore the crisis facing public housing residents is also being faced by all of Richmond.
The Mayor, City council, and School Board need to take action on this issue. In the short term this could include a pause on the proposed demolition. A long term solution is increased funding for public housing and public schools. Richmond students and residents deserve clean and safe buildings that are well maintained and built to capacity.
Nathan Arries is a disabled immunity and political activist based In Richmond Virginia. He is chair and founder of Richmond For All’s Disability Rights caucus and a lead organizer for DSA’s Green New Deal campaign as well as the Disability Rights working group.
