Medgar Evers Center Leads Charge to Protect Black Homeownership in Brooklyn

The number of Black homeowners in New York City keep plummeting because of deed theft, foreclosures, the lack of affordable homes to purchase and the absence of financial literacy among African Americans, according to housing advocates and experts.

At a Saturday symposium on the state of housing for Black New Yorkers at Medgar Evers College, CUNY in Crown Heights, Dr. Zulema Blair, executive director of the Dubois Bunche Public Policy Center, said she was alarmed to find 2020 and 2021 census data indicating that about 50% of the homes in Bedford-Stuyvesant were owned by Black New Yorkers, compared to the 70% to 80% rate seen decades ago. 

Despite having one of the nation’s largest Black populations, New York City ranks last among major U.S. cities in Black homeownership, with a rate of just 31%, according to Blair.

Blair said that a higher home value would equate to a higher economic loss for Black families if that home was foreclosed on. For example, in faster-gentrifying neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, where home prices are in the millions, economic loss would be greater, as opposed to neighborhoods like Canarsie, that have yet to see home prices rise as rapidly.

Blair said it can be harder for Black homeowners to find the financial resources they need when they face foreclosure.

“Most people of African descent only have a checking or savings account, they likely don’t have retirement savings,” or investing in the stock market, said Blair. “So they don't have much to pull from or to invest in.”

To remedy this, the Dubois Bunche Center is providing 100 hours of public workshops, including on budgeting and credit management, to provide individuals to become financial coaches to help others achieve financial stability.

Yvette V. Dudley, a real estate and litigation attorney, said the center will also provide legal classes to help individuals fight foreclosure cases, predatory lending schemes and deed theft. 

“We want to be the training site, so I know I could just go to the Dubois Bunche Center and they're going to have some CLEs [continuing legal education] for me to take on these issues,” said Dudley, who heads up the legal arm of the center.

The weekend event was co-sponsored by a handful of elected officials and community leaders, including Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest.

“I think this is such an important conversation to have because home is where your heart is, home is where you lay your head,” said Souffrant Forrest. “To think that there are threats and barriers to people accessing a home that they can afford, is deplorable.” 

The Dubois Bunche Center is hosting multiple upcoming events focused on the state of housing for Black New Yorkers, with an online session on estate planning on Jun. 18 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm and a housing resources fair on June 28th, where residents can learn more about the Atlantic Avenue rezoning.