Resources and Documents

Here you will find resources and documents related to engagement with Racial Justice by Trinity Church and Community, current focus topic, as well as resources from the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church in Connecticut's Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation Network

TRINITY CHURCH AND COMMUNITY DOCUMENTS

Trinity Episcopal Church

In September 2020 the Vestry of Trinity Church sent a letter to the President of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew (BOSTA) supporting the decision of the Trinity Chapter to withdraw from BOSTA in response to the refusal of the then BOSTA president to refuse to present to the Board for discussion a statement crafted by a committee formed to draft such a statement.

Choir School of Hartford

In response to the events of the spring of 2020, the Choir School of Hartford shared a statement on racism.

RACIAL DISPARITIES IN HOUSING

Our country’s s housing challenges have never been so clear. The lack of affordable rental housing, unequal access to decent-quality homes, and the vulnerability of the housing stock to age and natural disasters amidst the pandemic has brought these issues to the fore.

The high degree of residential segregation and economic inequality that exists coupled with the sharp racial disparities in housing are both causes and consequences of other social inequalities. According to a recent study, BIPOC people are heavily represented in high-poverty neighborhoods and underrepresented in higher-income areas. Approximately two-thirds of the poor BIPOC population live in communities with poverty rates above 20 percent, twice the share of poor white Americans. BIPOC populations also have significantly higher cost-burden rates and are disproportionately represented in the homeless, housing insecurity, and unsatisfactory housing conditions populations.

Approximately 88% of Connecticut’s population lives in urban areas. Racism, the racial covenants of the ’30s and ’40s, as well as the practice of mortgage and housing discrimination, prevented generations of BIPOC households from buying homes, accruing wealth, and living in neighborhoods with good schools and other opportunities. These practices fostered the striking disparities that exist today across town lines, racial and ethnic groups, and urban/rural populations, both in CT and across the nation.

Some Facts and Figures

CT has 1,385,975 housing units including 428,779 rental units
67 % of CT residents own their home and 33% rent their home
There is a safe and affordable housing shortfall of approximately 80,000 housing units
Housing is an important social determinant, yet on any given day in the United States, roughly 18 of every 10,000 people experience homelessness.
The 2020 January count by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that 2,904 individuals are homeless in Connecticut, which is approximately 8 people for every 10,000 people

Housing Insecurity

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines cost-burdened families as those “who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing” and “may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation, and medical care.”

BIPOC people have far higher cost-burden rates and far lower homeownership rates than white households. In 2019, some 43 percent of Black, 40 percent of Hispanic, and 32 percent of Asian households spent more than 30 percent of their incomes on housing, compared with 25 percent of white household
Currently, 124,000 Connecticut renter households, spend over half of their income on rent
In CT, approximately 45% of renters and 26% of homeowners are cost-burdened
In CT, 22.8% of the Hispanic population,20.3% of the Black population, 15.4% of the mixed-race population, 8.75% of the Asian population, and 6% of the White population have incomes below the federal poverty level.
Among CT children under the age of 18 years, 14.2% live in families with incomes below the Federal poverty level
Hispanic (54 percent), Black (48 percent), and Asian (42 percent) households were also more likely than white households (37 percent) to have lost income due to
Income growth has widened income inequality since 2010 as the average annual income of households in the bottom decile ($7,800) increased just 5 percent from 2010 to 2019, or about $340. In contrast, the average income of households in the top decile ($316,000) soared by 20 percent, or about $52,000.
The Black-White income gap also widened in the 2010s such that the median income for Black households was $43,200, which is roughly 60 percent of the $70,900 median for white
Approximately 49% of renter households have been impacted by the pandemic reporting lost employment income between mid-March and late September.
During the pandemic, 6.3 million homeowners have entered a mortgage forbearance plan between March and October of 2020.

Housing Conditions

In CT, 67.4% of the housing stock was built before 1980 and 35% was built before 1960.
A disproportionate percentage of minority populations live in homes with physical problems. 4% of Black Americans and 9.2% of Hispanic Americans live in housing with moderate or severe physical problems, compared to 4.4% of Non-Hispanic White Americans.
A recent HUD American Housing Survey found that 6 million households in the United States live with unsatisfactory housing conditions, such as plumbing, heating, or electrical problems.
In CT :
- 6466 housing units do not have complete plumbing facilities
- 6682 housing units do not have complete kitchen facilities
- 14395 housing units have no telephone services

Attention must be given to the health concerns of children, the elderly, and individuals who are immuno-compromised.
In CT, 21.7% of households have children under 18 years of age and approximately 18% of households have adults that are over 65 years of age
Young children (under 5) and Seniors (65 and over) spend an average of 17.8 hours a day at home or about 90% of their time indoors; and are more inclined to be susceptible to biological, chemical, and physical hazards, such as excessive moisture, allergens like animal dander and dust, and household cleaners or pesticides which often exacerbate respiratory conditions.
Residents of the five large cities - Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, and Waterbury, when compared to residents from the rest of Connecticut, were :
- nearly 3 times more likely to be hospitalized or visited an emergency department for their asthma
- 2 times more likely to die due to asthma

Episcopal Church and Episcopal Church In Connecticut Resources:

The Episcopal Church has released a report on a Racial Justice Audit of Episcopal Leadership. The Audit, conducted by the Mission Institute in partnership with the Episcopal Church's Racial Reconciliation and Justice team, surveyed and interviewed more than 1,300 members of the Church's key leadership bodies. More information about the audit, including the full report, can be accessed here.
At the 236th annual convention of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, Resolution 7 was adopted Acknowledging & Confronting Systemic Racism, White Supremacy, & Anti-Black Bias
The ECCT Racial Healing and Justice and Reconciliation Ministry Network has put together a series of meditations given by lay and ordained leaders of the Ministry Network which can be accessed here.
More resources can be found on the ECCT Racial Healing Justice & Reconciliation Ministry Network page