How Omaha Organizations are Working to Reverse Redlining Effects
- Zaire Butler
- Nov 30, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 10, 2024
A video package detailing housing in redlined areas in North Omaha, and what organizations are doing to combat the residiual effects. Featuring interviews with Joanie Poore and Philisa Smith from the Omaha Housing Authority, as well as a community perspective from North Omaha resident Kiere Phelps, we seek to explore and explain a comprehensive outline of how housing has been affected by redlining in the North Omaha area and continues to be to this day.
Transcript
Narrator (Zaire Butler): Omaha, Nebraska is a city with rich history and vibrant communities. The history of Omaha dates back for centuries, but it hasn't always been a situation that was equal for all.
Phelps: And we have seen time and time again where you have a family who's more than qualified to get the house or the job that they want, but they can't get it because of the color of their skin. And, you know, that’s where segregation and discrimination comes in.
Narrator (Zaire Butler): The echoes of discriminatory housing practices through redlining still shape the daily lives of many in the North Omaha area. Redlining systematically denied home loans to people living in predominantly black neighborhoods. Joanie Poore at the Omaha Housing Authority gave us some further insight.
Poore: You can see, massive economic disinvestment that took place. You can clearly see property values that to this day haven't fully recovered in the way that other property values have in the city.
Narrator (Zaire Butler): Neighborhoods were often labeled as hazardous, cutting off opportunities for wealth building and community investments. Today, efforts by organizations such as the OHA are underway to bridge the gap.
Smith: So public housing wise, we do have a family self-sufficiency program that offers additional assistance where they can help connect with community partners in order to help our families get education assistance.
Narrator (Zaire Butler): From the scars of redlining to the seeds of hope. North Omaha’s story is a testament to the power and resilience of a community to reclaim its future for generations to come.
Comments