Obama unveils rules to ‘diversify”white suburbs
The Obama administration’s long-awaited new housing regulations came out Wednesday giving the federal government more tools to make sure neighborhoods around the nation aren’t developed and populated in racially segregated manners.
The rules, issued under the Department of Housing and Urban Development, are supposed to put a stop to “segregated living patterns” and “racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty,” HUD said, the Hill reported.
How it works is HUD will give local communities information on how to prevent and address perceived segregated housing areas, and offer grant money to address the situation. The grant money could then be used to help diversity the neighborhoods and “expand equal access to opportunity for all Americans,” HUD said, the Hill reported.
HUD Secretary Julian Castro put it this way: “Unfortunately, too many Americans find their dreams limited by where they come from, and a ZIP code should never determine a child’s future. This important step will give local leaders the tools they need to provide all Americans with access to safe, affordable housing in communities that are rich with opportunity.”
Critics, however, call the carrot-stick trade-off of government regulations for grant dollars a prime example of federal overreach.
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