C.H.O.I.C.E. INITIATIVE

The primary goal of the C.H.O.I.C.E. (Creating Hope for Open and Inclusive Communities Everywhere) Initiative is to aid with the development of mixed-income and racially diverse housing opportunities in low-poverty areas so as to:

1. Provide lower income households with greater access to opportunities in low-poverty areas
2. Create more open and inclusive communities; and
3. Reduce inequality and reverse the harm caused by systemic housing discrimination, past and present.

Too often mixed-income housing and other types of affordable housing have been built in or near high poverty neighborhoods leading to economic and racial segregation, as well as high levels of poverty concentration.  At the same time, low-poverty communities that have restricted access to affordable housing for lower income populations have contributed to growing regional inequalities.  The CHOICE Initiative seeks a more balanced approach to affordable housing development that encourages the development of racially diverse, mixed-income housing in low-poverty areas as one component of a comprehensive housing strategy.

To learn more about mixed-income housing being built in low-poverty areas across the country, read the C.H.O.I.C.E. Initiative’s report (June 2007) "Increasing Access to Low-Poverty Areas by Creating Mixed-Income Housing."

             To learn more about tenant experiences in these mixed-income housing sites in low-poverty areas, please read our new report,  “Living in Mixed-Income Housing: Profiles and Future Directions” (April 2008). A collection of preliminary observations, this addendum to the C.H.O.I.C.E. report above provides a snapshot view of life at four mixed-income rental developments:

• Waggoner Grove Apartments, Blacklick, Ohio (Suburban Columbus) 
• Yahara River View Apartments, Madison, Wisconsin
• Madison Glen, Raleigh, North Carolina
• La Costa Palma, California (San Diego County)

The report offers a profile of tenant demographic and economic information at each site, along with information about amenities and services.

Look at our Race and Poverty Concentration Analysis Tool!

             If you would like to learn more about CHOICE Initiative tools, resources, and technical assistance available to aid in developing mixed-income housing in low-poverty areas, please contact the Fair Housing Justice Center at, fhjc@fairhousingjustice.org.