Emergency service workers in North Charleston work to unclog storm drains to ease flooding.
https://www.postandcourier.com/news/north-charleston-working-on-its-own-list-of-flood-projects/article_37da58fe-933d-11e7-9ab1-c31961c245dc.html
As of 2018, nearly five thousand South Carolinians were experiencing homelessness. There are many different ways that people can become homeless such as poverty, catastrophic events, and lack of affordable housing, which is prevalent in the Charleston area. Homelessness and housing insecurity disproportionately affects minority communities in and near Charleston, and this is largely due to environmental racism.
Environmental racism can cause minority communities to be placed in housing that is more likely to be condemned or more likely to be damaged in climate related events such as hurricanes and flooding. Both of these possibilities makes members of communities impacted by environmental racism more likely to experience homelessness and housing insecurity. In the Rosemont neighborhood in North Charleston, residents have reported an increase in damaging flooding after the expansion of I-26 through the neighborhood. Residents reported having to buy sandbags anytime it stormed in order to minimize flood damage and having to pay for property damage caused by floodwaters.
Neighborhood sign for Rosemont, in North Charleston. I-26 is in the background. https://abcnews4.com/archive/downtown-charleston-neighborhood-put-at-ease-with-plans-for-sound-barrier
Environmental racism places a large financial strain on the communities it impacts. Unfortunately most members of these communities are simply not in the financial place to simply move to a better neighborhood with better quality housing.
Primarily moving is something that can be financially difficult even without external factors. This issue is further exaggerated when there is a lack of affordable housing, as seen in the Charleston area. Additionally, individuals that have had their health impacted by environmental racism may not be able to gain steady employment or they have to deal with the financial burden of their new medical condition. Regardless of whether residents are low-income or middle class, dealing with issues such as flood damage can place severe economic burdens on households, especially when it is a repeated occurrence.
When addressing the issue of homelessness and housing insecurity, it is crucial to consider environmental racism. A significant amount of those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity are likely to come from communities that have been subjected to environmental racism. Without considering the implications of environmental racism, we fail to fully address and prevent the causes of homelessness and housing insecurity.
Cusick, Daniel. “Past Racist ‘Redlining’ Practices Increased Climate Burden on Minority Neighborhoods.” Scientific American. Scientific American, January 21, 2020. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/past-racist-redlining-practices-increased-climate-burden-on-minority-neighborhoods/.
Dubb, Steve, et al. “Can Zoning for Environmental Justice Reverse a Century of Zoning Racism?” Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly, May 14, 2019. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/can-zoning-for-environmental-justice-reverse-a-century-of-zoning-racism/.
Wilson, Sacoby, Malo Hutson, and Mahasin Mujahid. “How Planning and Zoning Contribute to Inequitable Development, Neighborhood Health, and Environmental Injustice.” Environmental Justice 1, no. 4 (n.d.): 211–16. https://doi.org/10.1089/env.2008.0506.