by Colin McCarthy & Ethan Opdenaker
Last updated on December 6, 2024
for Data Visualization for Allwith Prof. Jack DoughertyTrinity College, Hartford CT, USA
The Urban Suburban Affordables (USA) program, created by the Center for Leadership and Justice (CLJ) , aims to increase affordable housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income families in the Greater Hartford region, including both urban areas like Hartford and surrounding suburban communities. The USA facilitates homeownership through innovative approaches such as Community Land Trusts (CLTs), which work by purchasing land and selling the homes built on it to low-income residents, while the CLJ retains ownership of the land itself. This separation of land ownership and homeownership is significant because it reduces the upfront cost of buying a house, making it more accessible to families, while maintaining affordability even as surrounding land values rise, and ensuring that housing remains affordable through restrictions on resale prices. Making housing more affordable for low- and moderate-income residents, preventing land prices from increasing rapidly. Therefore CLTs offer a promising solution to the Greater Hartford region’s housing challenges by keeping housing affordable for future generations. This is because CLTs implement a resale formula that sets an “allowable sales price” when a resident decides to sell. This formula allows the homeowner to recoup up to 50 percent of any appreciation in the home's value during their ownership, as well as 100 percent of any improvements made to the property, plus closing costs. In this way, residents are able to build personal wealth, while the property continues to serve the community’s long-term housing needs, fostering both individual financial stability and broader community resilience. This initiative has helped over 200 families purchase their first home in the Greater Hartford area. The CLJ has an estimated portfolio of around $53 million.
We researched the location of the USA homes in each census tract, focusing on homes located in five municipalities (Bloomfield, East/West Hartford, Hartford, and Windsor), to answer the question: Where are USA homes located in the area, and in what types of neighborhoods? Specifically, we examined median household income and eviction data. This research is crucial because it provides valuable insights into the neighborhoods where USA homes are located, shedding light on the economic and housing dynamics of these areas. Understanding the correlation between the locations of USA homes, eviction rates, and median household income helps to identify which neighborhoods are most in need of affordable housing opportunities. Areas with higher eviction rates may signal communities under greater housing stress, while neighborhoods with lower median incomes could indicate populations that would most benefit from homeownership programs. These areas indicate a lack of housing stability, which is frequently driven by rising rent costs, limited affordable housing options, and sometimes discriminatory practices. In neighborhoods with low median incomes, residents face additional challenges in accessing stable housing, as the cost of rent consumes a large portion of their earnings, leaving little room for savings or wealth-building. For example high down payments and insufficient credit, preventing families from accumulating equity and perpetuating cycles of poverty. In such areas, homeownership programs can provide a critical solution by enabling families to build wealth through equity, ensuring long-term housing stability, and reducing eviction risks. Programs like Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and down payment assistance make homeownership more accessible.
For the Center for Leadership and Justice (CLJ), this information is vital in identifying strategic locations for acquiring more underlying land for affordable housing development. It allows the CLJ to target regions where affordable homeownership could have the most significant impact, particularly in areas facing economic challenges or housing instability. By using eviction and income data, the USA program can expand its reach to the neighborhoods that need it most, offering low- to moderate-income families a pathway to homeownership, financial stability, and long-term community resilience. Ultimately, this approach not only supports individual families but also contributes to the broader goal of strengthening the community by providing equitable access to affordable housing.
We are focusing on where USA homes are located compared to median household incomes in their areas to show the disparities of wealth spread around the greater Hartford area. It is evident that the downtown Hartford area has the least amount of median household income, as you stray away into neighboring areas the wealth grows. What is surreal is that some of the surrounding West Hartford census tracts have more than 10 times the amount of household income than in Hartford, just neighborhoods away. To better understand how to compare how the median income disparities impact USA homes, we must label census tracts as either high, medium, or low income census tracts. To do this, we created a histogram of the median household income among the census tracts in Hartford, West Hartford, East Hartford, Bloomfield, and Windsor
Below is a map to show the amount of USA homes located in High/Medium/Low median income census tracts around the focused area.
As seen, most of the USA homes are in medium income areas. We defined these income ranks by separating the median household incomes of the census tracts into three eqaul parts. These separations are at $45,000 and $85,200 to define the high/medium/low income areas.
Below is a map of the median household income in the towns: East Hartford, Hartford, West Hartford, Bloomfield, and Windsor
Figure 1: Explore the interactive chart. This map seperated cencus tracts in the towns listed above by median household incomes.The tracts range in three different price ranges from what we are considering High/Medium/Low income homes.
It can be seen that for the median household income, most of the USA properties reside in areas of “medium” income census tracts. These are mostly by the clusters of homes in the Southwest and Northwest corners of Hartford. The reason that the number of homes in the “high” income census tracts are so high is by the number of homes in the Bloomfield and Windsor towns. These areas have a higher median household income, so the USA homes are labled in this high income area.
We are looking at the total numbers of evictions filled in each census tract within the Greater Hartford region, to see valuable insight into the housing instability in neighborhoods near USA houses. By highlighting eviction patterns in surrounding areas, the map below serves as a crucial tool for understanding the broader housing challenges faced by these communities. These high eviction rates in specific areas are a clear indicator of housing insecurity and patterns of consistently high evictions. Which reflects deeper systemic issues such as poverty, unemployment, or a lack of affordable housing. Therefore, mapping this data can highlight these disparities and show which neighborhoods have high eviction rates and how through CLTs, the CLJ is able to facilitate homeownership in the Greater Hartford region.
As seen from this chart most of the USA homes are located in census tracts with low average evictions filed per renter occupied units. For example we broke up low, medium, high eviction rates by 0-10% for low and 10-20% for medium and 20-50% for high. Based on the 203 USA properties located in the 5 towns we focused on there were 191 properties located in low eviction census tracts and 12 properties in medium eviction census tracts. Based on this range there were no properties located in high eviction census tracts. Therefore based on the 203 properties we focused on 91% of them are located in census tracts with low eviction rates.
Figure 2: Explore the interactive chart This map separates the census tracts in the towns: Hartford, West Hartford, East Hartford, Windsor, and Bloomfield by the average evictions filed per renter occupied unit, from the years 2022 - 2024. Some disclaimers about the data are that for the census tract 511100 there is no data because there are no renter occupied units in that census tract. Also for the census tract 980100, there is no data because there is a correctional center located in that census tract. Also for the census tract 503100, it was divided into two different census tracts 503101 and 503102. Therefore we had to estimate the eviction data for these two census tracts. Which is significant because both these census tracts have high average eviction rates.
This map shows the total numbers of evictions filed in each census tract within the Greater Hartford region, offering valuable insight into the housing instability in neighborhoods near USA properties. By highlighting eviction patterns in surrounding areas, the map serves as a crucial tool for understanding the broader housing challenges faced by these communities. These high eviction rates in specific areas are a clear indicator of housing insecurity and patterns of consistently high evictions. Which reflects deeper systemic issues such as poverty, unemployment, or a lack of affordable housing. Therefore, mapping this data can highlight these disparities and show which neighborhoods have high eviction rates and how through CLTs, the CLJ is able to facilitate homeownership in the Greater Hartford region.
The median household income data was found through the American Community Survey's 5-year estimate of median household incomes in census tracts throughout all of Connecticut. From there the data was cleaned to only the 5 municipalities that we are focusing on. There are two census tracts without any data, tract 5245.02 had no household income reported in the survey. Tract 9801 had a population of 938, but no income or housing data are listed because 100% reside in the Hartford Correctional Center.
The CT Data Evictions data is taken of census tracts throughout all of Connecticut. From there the data was cleaned to only the 5 municipalities that we are focusing on. Some issues with the data we faced were with the census tracts 5031.01 and 5031.02 which split the original census tract 5031.00. So there wasn’t any data in the spreadsheet for those two different census tracts.Therefore we had to use the CT Data Evictions Map to find the number of evictions filed for the census tract 5031.00, and then split that number (1,287) between the census tracts 5031.01 and 5031.02
admin. “Housing Initiatives.” The Center for Leadership and Justice, https://cljct.org/what-we-do/housing-initiatives/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Collaborative, CTData. Connecticut Eviction Map. https://evictionmap.ctdata.org/. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Community Land Trusts – Grounded Solutions Network. https://groundedsolutions.org/strengthening-neighborhoods/community-land-trusts/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.