How the environment impacts fair housing in Indy
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Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
A new annual report from the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana looks at how historically discriminatory housing practices have combined with climate change to create a losing scenario for some Hoosiers.
Zoom in: The report found that just 20 of Indiana's 54 Superfund sites have been cleaned and returned to usable land.
- Many of the nation's Superfund sites — contaminated sites deemed a national cleanup priority — are located in formerly redlined neighborhoods.
- As a result, Black Americans are 75% more likely to live near a company, industrial or service facility.
- Like Superfund sites, abandoned or underutilized sites known as brownfields are also prevalent in formerly redlined neighborhoods, and about half of these sites are located within two miles or less of HUD-funded public housing.
- The FHCCI says brownfields are different from Superfund sites in that brownfields are designated as less severely contaminated and therefore are usually not eligible for federal funds and oversight for cleanup.
The study also found that Indianapolis and Gary have some of the poorest air quality in the country due to industrial plants and traffic pollution.
What they're saying: "The presence of several major highways and interstates cutting through historically and/or majority-Black neighborhoods is also a major factor in air quality in those neighborhoods," the study says.
Threat level: As Indiana's climate becomes warmer and flood risks increase, nearly 800,000 Hoosiers are at risk of being negatively affected and more than 270,000 live in areas projected to be at risk of inland flooding.
- 32% of households in floodplain areas are families with children, and 25% are households with seniors.
What's next: The FHCCI and nearly 500 other Hoosier organizations or individuals sent a signed letter to Gov. Eric Holcomb in early June pushing for the establishment of a statewide housing commission to address issues like these.
- They see a commission improving coordination among government agencies and assorted stakeholders to help address the state's housing shortage and a shortfall in enforcing health and safety standards.