Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice in New Hampshire
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice in New Hampshire 2020 UPDATE May 2021 Prepared for New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority and New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority by New Hampshire Legal Assistance Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice in New Hampshire 2020 Update May 2021 Prepared for New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority and New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority by New Hampshire Legal Assistance The publication of the 2020 Update to the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice in New Hampshire (2020 AI) marks the fifth Analysis conducted since 1996 when the Office of State Planning issued the original Analysis of Impediments (AI). By 2004, New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority (NHHFA) had taken responsibility for evaluating barriers to housing opportunity and published an update to the AI. In 2010, New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) also began supporting publication of the AI. The most recent update was published in 2015. New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA), under contract with NHHFA and CDFA, has produced all four of the updates. Scope of Investigation In preparing the 2020 AI Report, the following activities were undertaken: 1. Thirty-year review of affirmatively furthering fair housing in the state 2. Demographic analyses; 3. Evaluation of areas of high poverty and racial/ethnic concentrations; 4. A focus group and a set of one-on-one interviews with community members; 5. A survey of the state’s Public Housing Authorities (PHAs); 6. Analysis of the housing barriers facing residents with serious mental illness; 7. Research into legal developments at the federal and state level; 8. Compilation of fair housing resources; 9. Review of hate crime data; 10. Compilation of housing discrimination complaint data; 11. Summaries of impediments faced by particular protected class groups; 12. Identification of additional impediments 13. Review of the progress made on addressing impediments identified in the prior AI; 14. Analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on protected class members; 15. Study of the racial justice movement in New Hampshire; and 16. Preparation of supplemental materials in the report appendix. NHHFA.org NHCDFA.org [email protected] TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I: OVERVIEW OF 2020 UPDATE ................................................................................. 6 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... 7 ACKNOWLEGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... 10 AUTHOR/CONTRIBUTOR BIOGRAPHIES .............................................................................. 11 PART II: 2020 OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS ......................................................................... 12 AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING FAIR HOUSING: THIRTY YEARS OF FAIR HOUSING WORK AND ANALYSIS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE (1990–2020) ............................................................. 12 1. Introduction................................................................................................................... 12 2. Development and Expansion of Housing Discrimination Law ..................................... 13 3. Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Through Analysis and Enforcement ............... 14 4. New Hampshire Population Features and Access to Opportunity ............................... 18 5. Moving Forward in the Most Challenging of Times ..................................................... 28 ASSESSMENT OF CONCENTRATIONS OF POVERTY AND RACIAL/ETHNIC POPULATIONS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE ............................................................................................................... 29 1. Introduction................................................................................................................... 29 2. General Limitations ...................................................................................................... 30 3. Census Tracts Selected for Analysis ............................................................................. 31 4. Additional Racial/Ethnic Concentration Analyses ....................................................... 40 5. Additional Indicators of Income and Poverty ............................................................... 43 6. Community Asset Indicators ......................................................................................... 48 7. Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Analysis ..................................................................... 67 8. Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 68 TARGETED COMMUNITY INPUT .......................................................................................... 69 1. Focus Group with Brazilian Immigrants ...................................................................... 69 2. Interviews with Members of New Hampshire’s Muslim Communities ......................... 73 3. Conclusions and Observations ..................................................................................... 79 NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY SURVEY ................................................. 80 1. What are the biggest fair housing challenges for your PHA? ...................................... 81 2. What are the challenges of incorporating AFFH obligations into your planning, policies, staff development? ......................................................................................... 81 3. What other community or governmental institutions do you collaborate with across the scope of your work? ..................................................................................................... 82 4. Do you consider disparate impact in your planning or policy development? .............. 82 5. Do you use preferences? Why/why not? ....................................................................... 83 6. What is your ratio of senior/disabled housing to family housing? ............................... 83 7. What protected class groups, if any, are designated in your affirmative marketing efforts? .......................................................................................................................... 84 8. Do you have a civil rights compliance officer/designee? ............................................. 84 9. What language access challenges, if any, does your PHA face? .................................. 84 2 10. What are the challenges of operating housing for younger persons with disabilities living together with older persons? Have you developed any innovative strategies? . 85 11. Describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your PHA’s operations. ............. 85 PART III: HOUSING DISCRIMINATION FOCUS – HOUSING JUSTICE FOR PERSONS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS ................................................................. 88 PART IV: LEGAL UPDATE ................................................................................................... 93 FEDERAL LAW DEVELOPMENTS ......................................................................................... 93 1. Regulatory Changes ...................................................................................................... 93 2. Case Law Developments Outside the Region ............................................................. 101 3. Federal Case Law Developments in the First Circuit Court of Appeals and in New Hampshire .................................................................................................................. 104 NEW HAMPSHIRE LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS ....................................................................... 108 1. New Hampshire Supreme Court and Selected NHLA Fair Housing Project Cases ... 108 2. Statutory Developments .............................................................................................. 111 3. Executive Branch Developments ................................................................................. 117 PART V: 2020 ANALYSIS OF FAIR HOUSING IMPEDIMENTS ................................... 119 REVIEW OF FAIR HOUSING RESOURCES ........................................................................... 119 1. Federal Resources ...................................................................................................... 119 2. State Resources ........................................................................................................... 120 FAIR HOUSING COMPLAINT DATA 2015–2019 ................................................................ 122 1. New Hampshire Housing Discrimination Complaints by Organization .................... 123 2. Housing Discrimination Complaints Filed with NHLA .............................................. 123 3. Housing Discrimination Complaints Filed with HUD ............................................... 124 4. Housing Discrimination Complaints Filed with HRC ................................................ 124 5. Discussion ................................................................................................................... 125 HATE CRIMES AND BIAS INCIDENTS IN NEW HAMPSIRE .................................................. 126 PROTECTED CLASSES ......................................................................................................