Report: Impact of Discplacement on Fillmore Residents

Fillmore Neighborhood Association

Report on Impact of Displacement on Fillmore Residents - 2011

The out-migration, displacement and gentrification of communities from San Francisco is a phenomenon that has long-lasting and multifaceted impacts on the wellbeing of

residents who were forced to move.

Economic

·         Research has shown that displaced families endure a number of economic hardships.

·         The initial costs of relocating and setting up a new household.

·         Employment rates for urban residents displaced from their neighborhoods tend to remain the same (Goetz 2002, Levy and Kaye 2004).

·         Transportation costs increase in order to commute to an old school or place of employment (Goetz 2002).

·         More nuanced impacts, such as the loss of investments made in a home or job, as well as a decreased sense of “entrepreneurial spirit,” have also been found among displaced residents (Feldman 2003).

Social

·         The social impacts of displacement for involuntarily moved families are varied, and include lower levels of interaction with neighbors (Levy 2002 – HOPE VI tracking study and Goetz 2002).

·         The destruction of myriad social support networks that existed in the original neighborhood (Fullilove 2004). Additionally, when displacement is proportionately imposed onto a particular segment of the population by public policies such as Urban Renewal.

·         Feelings of distrust and disappointment towards city government are profound and have been entrenched over time (Fullilove 2004).

 

Health

·         Research on the health impacts of displacement have shown that relocation often interrupts access to healthcare, which can result in increased rates of morbidity

·         (Goetz2002).

·         The psychological costs of displacement are also significant, and include disorientation, loneliness, and alienation that result from a loss in place identity and familiarity (Fullilove 1996).

Community

·         More nuanced investigations of displacement have revealed an experience of fragmentation.

·         This fragmentation has manifested itself politically by diluting the political power of a voter blocs.

·         Culturally - by creating an environment in which people no longer feel like they are part of the same “family,” thus enabling violence and feelings of distrust to fester within a neighborhood (Fullilove 2004).

·         While it is not possible to undo all of the costs of displacement mentioned above, it is possible and imperative to reverse the decline of population in SF both in terms of existing public housing slots, and new affordable housing units.

·         Public housing is one of the few affordable ways for low-income residents to stay in San Francisco, and it is also important to remember that the expansion and improvement of affordable housing for existing residents.

Children

·         According to survey findings among displaced families, children are less likely to play with and have friends in their new neighborhood.

·         Receive less attention from school teachers than they did in their old neighborhoods (Goetz 2002).