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Jeremy Levine
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Jeremy commented on the article |This is a GREAT followup to the post at Postbourgie.
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Jeremy commented on the article |This is spot on. Public health issues/poor access to quality groceries is one of those things that everyone "knows" is going on in low-income communities, but it always seems to get lose in the shuffle in public policy discussions.
There was a related political battle in May regarding Costco opening up a store in Harlem. Even though the majority of local residents received food stamps, Costco refused to upgrade their technology (even though the state covers the upgrade free of charge). After some pressure, Costco has relented and wil laccept food stamps in two other NYC locations - Astoria in Queens and Sunset Park in Brooklyn. It's unclear what will happen at the Harlem location, but things look promising.
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Jeremy commented on the article |I'm totally with ya on this one. Federally sponsored relocation/mobility programs (read: voucher programs) never really sat well with me for a number of reasons, most of which I won't go into here. But, I think you accurately capture my main objection--the fact that mobility programs do nothing towards a more equitable distribution of resources and social services. The best they can do is scatter a handful of folks and let them fend for themselves in new neighborhoods. At best, this is an individual level intervention that neglects change where we really need it: the very structure of urban (and increasingly, suburban) neighborhoods. This is a fundamental, critical problem with these issues.
And don't even get me started on what happens when these folks actually make it into mixed-income housing development; segregation is pervasive, and this utopian vision of shared resources proves to be a myth.
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