Children and families across the United States experience racial and economic disparities that stem from a complex web of systems designed to perpetuate inequities. High rates of family homelessness, low rates of high school graduation and stagnating incomes all point to systems that fail to serve a large portion of the U.S. population — particularly people of color. Although economic growth has propelled some communities forward, systemic challenges and persistent disparities remain a defining issue for many. Wealth disparities are divided along racial lines, with the average white household earning 10 times more than the average Black household.1
This racial wealth gap is the direct result of historical injustices and biased policies that are present in numerous systems, including in housing and education. Evidence of these biased systems surrounds us and is readily apparent in the disparate housing and education outcomes experienced by families across the United States. Examples of these disparities are illustrated in the graphic below.2
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
73% of white households |
own a home, compared to |
40% of Black households |
34% of white adults over the age of 25 |
hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to |
24% of Black adults over the age of 25 |
The stark reality of these disparities has not gone unnoticed. Although both the housing and education sectors are on the front lines of addressing these challenges, much of this work has been done in silos. Collaborative partnerships between these sectors offer a promising pathway for addressing the root causes of generational poverty.
This toolkit highlights case studies of emerging partnerships between housing and education organizations focused on a set of shared outcomes — or shared goals — that enable organizations from both sectors to come together to close disparity gaps and enable economic mobility in their communities. The toolkit offers resources and examples for others looking to engage in similar collaborations.
Defining Economic Mobility
Economic mobility typically is measured in quantifiable or economic terms, such as increases in income, assets or wealth. Although useful for measurement, these terms fail to capture the full context of the disparities and systemic challenges that influence an individual’s ability to improve their economic status. The US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty, a partnership funded by the Gates Foundation and supported by the Urban Institute, expanded this definition through its collaborative work in 2018.3
The partnership — composed of leaders in academia, the faith community, philanthropy and the private sector — defined mobility from poverty using three interrelated principles: economic success, such as higher income and greater wealth; power and autonomy, referring to an individual’s sense of control over the trajectory of their lives; and being valued in community, or a person’s sense of belonging.4 Throughout this toolkit, the term “economic mobility” is intended to reflect all three aspects of mobility from poverty.
The Partnership’s collective ambition is that all people achieve a reasonable standard of living with the dignity that comes from having power over their lives and being engaged in and valued by their community. 5
- US PARTNERSHIP ON MOBILITY FROM POVERTY
A Pathway to Economic Mobility
Housing and education are important foundations for future success that underpin many aspects of mobility from poverty. With stable, well-connected and affordable housing, individuals and families can save money, access needed resources, improve their health, remain rooted in community, and even build wealth and access equity through homeownership. Research demonstrates that an individual’s housing stability during childhood directly affects their education experiences and future economic well- being as an adult.6 With quality education, children can build confidence, develop interpersonal skills, pursue academic achievement and access opportunities for future growth.
With growing wealth and income inequality, the need to improve economic mobility for households with lower incomes becomes more urgent each year. For both the housing and the education sectors, structural racism, continued disinvestment, and persistent racial and economic disparities often are glaringly evident in urban and rural communities alike. The deliberate physical and economic segregation of people of color, in particular of Black Americans, has created high rates of residential and educational segregation. The resulting concentration of poverty has inhibited neighborhood investment and led to poor quality housing and under-resourced schools.7
In the housing sector, disinvestment in minority neighborhoods and discriminatory practices like redlining have been well documented for decades, resulting in an enormous loss of wealth for generations of people of color. In education, the achievement gap, disparate college attainment rates, and unequal school spending remain critical disadvantages and challenges. Nearly half of Black children, at 45 percent, attend high-poverty schools. This is more than five times the rate of white children attending high-poverty schools, at 8 percent, and is only one indication of many in a system that has perpetuated segregation and fails to serve all children and families equitably.8
As the housing and education sectors begin to partner and align their work toward economic mobility, it is critical to bring racial equity to the forefront. This toolkit focuses on racial equity as an outcome for families, an approach to systems transformation and a key part of the cross-sector partnership process.
The recognition that stable, affordable housing is needed to achieve good educational outcomes — and that better educational outcomes are needed for improving the life trajectories of low-income children — provides the ideal mission alignment between affordable housing providers and schools.9
- KATHERINE O’REGAN
Former Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/pdredge/pdr_edge_frm_asst_sec_030915.html.
Take Action
Interested in learning more about Enterprise’s partnership work?