Green Infrastructure and Houselessness Blog Series: Part 3- Recommendations and Projects to Look at for Inspiration
By Jessie McGinley, Water Policy Intern
Stormwater management is important for safety, climate resilience, and wellbeing, among the most vulnerable to intensifying storms. The first part of this Green Infrastructure and Houselessness Blog Series explained how access and displacement intersect at green infrastructure and houselessness. The second blog on the potential harms and benefits of green infrastructures explores how it could affect housing insecure communities. This final blog makes recommendations and provides examples of green infrastructure projects that are more equitable for people experiencing houselessness. Greater intentionality can ensure that green infrastructure will prevent harm to community members who are unhoused as well as provide benefits. This list of recommendations is not exhaustive but rather intended to spur further incorporation of housing insecure communities into climate change discussions.
Recommendations
1. Intentionally engage and include people experiencing houselessness/homelessness in community engagement about green infrastructure projects.
Meaningful community engagement is one of the most important aspects of social justice. People experiencing houselessness should be included in planning and design conversations. When developers and planners work with communities on green infrastructure projects, people experiencing homelessness must be included in the conversation. Each community has different needs. The planners and developers need to engage specifically with the people who are unsheltered that may be impacted by the green infrastructure project. All people deserve an equal opportunity to voice their concerns, especially when design decisions affect their lives.
One way to engage unsheltered community members is to visit encampments to ask if anyone is willing to talk about infrastructure, given that there is someone present that is trained in this type of community engagement. It is important to recognize doing this would be encroaching on someone’s place of living and this needs to be approached with a lot of respect. Another approach to this is to hire someone who is or has been homeless. They could provide feedback and recommendations based on their personal experience. Good communication requires trust, which takes time to foster. Opportunities to engage throughout the entire process of the project will help build trust overtime. If possible, compensation for their time is necessary.
2. Partner with community-based organizations that work with people who are houseless in the community.
One way to engage people experiencing houselessness is through community-based organizations (CBOs) that work with this population in the area of the proposed green infrastructure project, such as a shelter, outreach groups, homeless advocacy groups, or newspapers. Build trust and relationships with CBOs through thoughtful discussions to invite feedback and prioritize what the community wants. CBOs do not always have sufficient resources to facilitate these discussions because of limited funding. If possible, compensation for their time is the best practice.
3. Research and avoid potential legal, social, or cultural exclusions to people experiencing houselessness in green infrastructure plans.
There are laws, infrastructure, and cultural norms that exclude or displace people experiencing homelessness. Green infrastructure projects can perpetuate these exclusionary mechanisms. When designing a project, it is important to consider whether or not the green infrastructure will contribute to the displacement of housing insecure community members. If so, the plans must be changed accordingly. Some examples of questions to ask to ensure accessibility for people experiencing homelessness include:
Is there any anti-homeless architecture in the infrastructure plans?
Who benefits from the project?
Is the project going to displace anyone who is not housed?
Are there any aspects of the project that are being used to “beautify” the community by intentionally pushing out homeless people?
Is the project accessible to the public such as with a sidewalk?
4. Recognize that affordable housing alone does not usually resolve all of the displacement concerns.
Affordable housing is very important to prevent displacement, but it alone does not solve the problem. There are many barriers to accessing affordable housing. People experiencing homelessness sometimes do not have a steady or sufficient income to pay rent for affordable housing.
More affordable housing needs to be developed as there is a rent affordability crisis nationwide; however, green infrastructure projects that cause displacement cannot excuse it with only additional affordable housing because it does not always house the displaced community. If affordable housing is the only resource provided for the displaced community, the developers need to ensure it is what the community wants and those who are displaced can access it. Affordable housing development is only one tool that should be used to promote anti-displacement within green infrastructure projects.
Inspiring Green Infrastructure Projects that Enhance Equity
Central City United People’s Plan
Central City United (CCU) is a coalition of key stakeholders from Downtown Los Angeles. CCU worked with residents and stakeholders to create The Central City United People’s Plan to influence the Downtown Community Plan for Los Angeles. The aim of the CCU People’s Plan is to incorporate the perspectives of local residents so that they can influence community decisions.
In 2019, CCU published a proposal of specific policy recommendations for the Downtown LA Community Plan that include advocating for public green space and stormwater management. Many of the recommendations explicitly focus on homelessness. The following is a list of some of those demands included in the plan.
The elimination of “hostile architecture and design, and other tactics that impede houseless residents’ ability to rest”
Ensure “houseless residents have access to safe, affordable housing and services.”
“Create and implement a strategy to end the criminalization of houselessness and divert criminal enforcement spending to instead support increased access to public health infrastructure, quality healthcare, social services, and affordable and supportive housing.”
CCU does an incredible job making space for local residents to influence city development while promoting green space and stormwater management. They also recognize that displacement of people experiencing homelessness is an issue that must be addressed.
LA ROSAH
LA ROSAH (Los Angeles Regional Open Space and Affordable Housing Coalition) works to prevent displacement within green infrastructure and open space projects. They focus on promoting community-led projects that are accessible to all. This coalition unites organizations that promote policies and strategies to advocate for revitalization in neighborhoods without green gentrification.
LA ROSAH authentically does community engagement through a multi-sector approach. LA ROSAH is a coalition meaning that it is a community of different perspectives and organizations to address a diversity of community issues and needs. LA ROSAH does not focus exclusively on people experiencing homelessness, but they do have specific projects that focus on equitable green spaces for people experiencing homelessness such as the Metamorphosis and Isla Intersections projects.