Service Learning Research and Reflection Essay

25th Nov, 2016

Housing Segregation

I) Introduction

Neighborhood segregation is also referred to as residential segregation. This concept refers to the physical severance of two or more groups of persons into singular neighborhoods. It other words, it is a form of separation, which "classifies population groups into different shapes and or contexts of neighborhoods shapes the living surroundings at the neighborhood stage." However, narrowing down, neighborhood segregation, also popular as Housing segregation has been used to describe the act of denying the black people and other minority groups the opportunity of accessing the housing facilities on equality basis due to such factors as the refutation of reality, misinformation, racial steering and financing services. This study analyses its effects on students’ opportunities, bringing on board its causes and solutions.

II) The Causes of Housing Segregation

· Studies reveal that housing segregation is a factor, which is strongly based on the past and especially during slavery and the slave trade. The black persons specifically were traded and shipped to such nations as the United States of America for manual work and because of this lowered status they were offered housing facilities, which did not match those of the whites. This is considered the immediate source of housing segregation as from this time, the lowered status of the blacks and other minorities did not change significantly.

· However, due to the change in time and the society subsequently, there are other causes of housing segregation. These causes are based on socioeconomic status and immigration among others.

I. Socioeconomic status

· The black people and other minority groups like the Asians have, for a long time been considered as persons who can facilitate the luxurious living of the whites. As such, they have not been able to get good jobs for good pays, hence have been forced to live in low status houses, which are in poor isolated streets.

II. Immigration

· Immigration sends the immigrants to the new nations without anything. In the new countries, they are mostly kept in poor housing conditions characterized with tends popular as Displaced Persons’ Camps. These people are usually isolated and kept in these places because they are homeless.

III) The Effects of Housing Segregation of Students

· Housing relocation is associated with various consequences, which mainly affects students’ opportunities in negative ways. Relocation and unequal living standards are crucial examples here.

I. Relocation

· Housing segregation forces students’ families to relocate from one place to the other, particularly from where ‘they do not belong’ to where ‘they belong.’ Students miss school sessions and may fail to totally concentrate on education due to these shifts.

II. Unequal living standards

· Students coming from a prestigious street and those from a poor and shabby one will not take themselves as equals. In fact, the isolated ones may tend to believe that whatever comes first, including best grades and numbers in classes are preserved for the royal ones, hence failing to fight for them.

IV) Solutions to Housing Segregation and its Effects

· The greatest effort to solve housing regulation has emanated from the world governments. These governments could and have established policies and Acts, which rule out local land regulations, which create limitations on density, as blacks have less chances of living in areas of low density.

· There also has been the provision of some financial incentive to persuade people to live in regions that they could otherwise have not lived in due to factors such as racism.

V) Conclusion

· Like racism, housing segregation is has been there, it is still there and while we are fighting to eliminate it, we are only trying. Nonetheless, the reality is that complete integration will never happen; hence every generation will have a test of this nuisance.

References