Money Doesn’t Buy Everything: The Effects of Gentrification on the Youth in Chelsea
Gentrification is the renovation of a city or neighborhood that is very run-down. These renovations make neighborhoods more appealing to the middle/upper class and create an environment to which people want to move.
Her hair braided back and tied with two red bows, a seven year old girl frolicks over the cracks in the sidewalk and watches for spit-out gum. She wears loose ripped jeans and an oversized Adventure Time hand me down shirt. Her twelve year old brother trails behind her grinning. He reaches for his sister’s hand as they cross the street. He watches her carefully and observes the people around them, taking caution with the cars as they cross the street. They walk to a market called Vegetable Garden to buy a quarter gallon of milk and a few groceries for tonight's dinner. As they approach the building, they notice a large white sign draped over it like a scarf; it says SOLD in block red letters.
The once nice wooden crates are stacked outside with fresh tomatoes, carrots, avocados, apples, oranges, and more. Most of the groceries are unripe. The children push open the glass door and step inside. The clerk usually wears a smile that lights up the room, but today it is replaced with a glossy pair of eyes. He fails an attempt to smile at the kids. He has been a friend to the neighborhood ever since he opened this shop eleven years ago. The boy reaches into his pocket for a ten dollar bill and a grocery list. He examines the list with his sister, and they begin their hunt. Within a few minutes, the girl gives her brother the groceries. He then places them on the counter for the clerk to scan. The clerk’s voice rasps as he says, “That will be $12.50, please.” The boy worriedly places the ten dollar bill on the counter and scavenges his pockets for more money, although he knows it is useless. The clerk gives a small smile and says, “No worries, it’s on me.”
The boy sighs in relief and smiles back. The clerk prints out their receipt and hands them their grocery bag. “Thank you, we wish you the best, Mr. Wilcox,” the boy says as he pushes open the front door.
Small to big. Apartments to condos. Markets to boutiques. Businesses to corporations. Landlords are increasing rent, pushing people of low-income out and replacing them with people of higher-income. This gentrification not only displaces people, but it also causes physical and mental health problems. In his book Evicted (2016), Matthew Desmond states that more than half of people’s income goes towards maintaining the roof over their heads (Desmond 4). Families are forced out of their homes because of an unnecessary increase in rent. Gentrification has an immense impact, and when it occurs, it usually affects a whole community, which is why community support is important.
Gentrification is the processes of renovation of a current house or district generally causing an increase in rent and an alteration in the area’s character and culture. While renovation and modernization is a key in moving a neighborhood forward, Ken Jockers, the executive director of the Hudson Guild, says, “Unchecked poverty can destroy a neighborhood. But, unchecked wealth can do the same for other reasons” (Jockers). There is a fine line between the renewal of a neighborhood and the destruction caused throughout the process. The issue is not the restoration of an area; rather it is the slow process of individuals struggling to pay an increased rent. Gentrification causes many negative and positive effects, which is why it has become very controversial. Negative effects include the displacement of families and small business owners; however, the positive effects involve the reduction in crime, new investment in buildings and infrastructure, and the increase of economic activity in neighborhoods (Dinsdale). New York City has been heavily influenced by gentrification. People in New York are paying more for housing than necessary; in fact, rent increased two percent in the city between the years 1990 and 2000. Most families in New York are renting, and when there is a continual increase in property values, families live with the constant stress of how they are going to spend their money wisely on food and other living necessities (Abbey-Lambertz).
The effects gentrification has on neighborhoods is immense. Families struggle to pay rent and to provide their children with education and food. In Evicted (2016), Desmond asserts that families in the US are spending more than seventy percent of their income on paying their house rent and electricity bill (4). Being displaced may cause for a temporary or even permanent house in an unwelcoming neighborhood (3). Searching for cheap housing is like searching for water in a dessert, almost hopeless but not impossible. It is usually found in the darkest of places. Inexpensive apartments are typically seen in treacherous areas. Families who live in such neighborhoods do not feel safe letting their kids roam around the block. Another issue caused by living in an unstable house is that it starts an issue with keeping a job and getting one. When dealing with paying rent, working, and providing food and education for one’s children, people often become stressed. Too much stress causes illness, which is then another obstacle one must overcome while trying to maintain one’s house and job. People suffer from colossal amounts of loss throughout eviction. During the process of losing a home, people are not only deprived of their belonging such as books, clothes, and furniture, but also robbed of childhood schools and neighborhoods. Displacement denies people of long term connection to things in the physical world (Desmond).
One community that has been affected by gentrification is Chelsea, a neighborhood located in the Manhattan borough. The neighborhood is well known for its galleries, museums, and the High Line. Over a timeline of two hundred years, Chelsea has grown and developed greatly and has also been immensely affected by industrialization and gentrification. This constant change in the Chelsea neighborhood — the addition of “new high-end stores, and these useless art galleries ” (qtd. in Ray “Whose City is it?”) museums, and restaurants, is causing people to feel like outsiders in their own community. Chelsea can also be viewed as a model; it has a very diverse community not only in its culture but also in its various income rates; some apartment rents and property values have been kept at reasonable prices. The neighborhood has managed to avoid the outright displacement risks of gentrification and continue to renovate structures.
In her article “Whose City Is It?”, Barbara Ray establishes the Chelsea neighborhood to be “the poster child of gentrification.” Residents in the Chelsea neighborhood live in the constant fear that the new development will wipe them out (Ray). City governments have tried providing these communities like Chelsea with a form of solace by creating housing projects such as the Elliott-Chelsea houses. In her essay “In Chelsea, A Great Wealth Divide,” Mireya Navarro suggests that although these projects have helped, people continue to live with the relentless horror that the buildings will soon be turned over to the real estate market. Many people in Chelsea are affected by the issues caused by gentrification and react differently in trying to solve them. The Hudson Guild, an outreach organization, is the way Chelsea is helping itself find solutions to the problems in their neighborhood. The Hudson Guild has provided families with numerous benefits — adult services, youth development and education, early childhood education, mental health services, community building, and art programs — through which they have helped ease the negative effects of gentrification.
What was once a settlement house in 1886 called the Neighborhood Guild became the Hudson Guild in 1895. Dr. John Lovejoy Elliott was attracted to the neighborhood of Chelsea by the idea of helping the youth and working families. He provided them with a bountiful amount of programs. An example of his beginning work was when he motivated a group of boisterous boys into turning their street fighting into something productive; they created a boxing club called the “Hurly Burlies” (Hudson Guild). The Hudson Guild’s primary goal is to assist those who are in a financial demand to help them acquire their maximum potential. They not only believe in providing people with housing but also in acting like a sponsor. They care about one’s well being. They are a community of people whose priority is to create an environment from which people can only benefit. It continues to provide families with programs that are beneficial to the whole community. These programs are designed to help everyone in Chelsea, whether it is if one goes to school, work, or lives in the neighborhood.
In the numerous activities the Hudson Guild provides, adults can benefit from over sixty programs which take place every weekday. The adults utilizing the programs have the opportunity to get support in areas such as family, job search, mental stability, and entertainment. The Hudson Guild pushes each individual to “stay engaged in the community” (Hudson Guild). They want everyone to be a part of this organization. The Naturally Occurring Retirement Community guarantees that hundreds of seniors have the necessities for them to continue living independently. Crafts, shows, support groups, parties, bingo, and dances, are all activities allow older adults are able to connect with others in the community (Hudson Guild).
The Hudson Guild provides educational services to the youth of Chelsea in an array of different areas. Some of these areas include healthy eating, head starts in early onset education, curriculum tools and mental health. Within the youth development and education, the Hudson Guild also provides a variety of afterschool programs for the kids. This not only betters learning experiences for the kids, but also allows parents to have more time for work. It provides parents with the comfort of knowing that their kids have a safe place to go and they won’t be home alone. The afterschool programs also help children expand their interests and hobbies in order provide them for broader opportunities in the future. The Hudson Guild offers a spectrum of activities that include STEM and Literacy programs, tutoring, and a collection of creative arts consisting of dance, music, theater, and pottery. These programs both better the lives of adults and kids in the Chelsea community. It brings the kids a collection of opportunities to learn that they might not receive in their community school. The variety of programs that the Hudson Guild provides families and individuals with immensely betters the lives and futures of the youth of Chelsea.
The Hudson Guild Theater Company has provided the community with three yearly performances. Main concern is providing people who can’t afford live entertainment to have a chance of doing so. They are very inclusive to anyone in the community who want to participate in the production, whether it is on or off the stage and despite of their experience with either. The program even goes into schools and afterschool activities and encourages the youth to make good decisions in their daily lives. The Hudson Guild produced a series of dance, theater, and music called the “Performing Artworks!.” This group’s goal is to provide the children and families of the Chelsea community with an accessible form of entertainment.
Gentrification is inevitable. They are not looking for a band-aid for the problem. They are one step closer to the antidote. They are empowering and strengthening the community. Together they celebrate their community and variety of people. As a whole they take pride in their abilities in helping each other. In children’s books, the common idea of a prince rescuing the princess from a dragon is not what is happening in Chelsea. The neighborhood is not waiting for the government to make a difference and they are most certainly not waiting for gentrification take a toll on their lives. If they do not see the change they want happening, then why not step in and do it right themselves. This is exactly what the Hudson Guild is doing. The Hudson Guild provides these activities with pride; they know they are making a difference in the lives of low-income residents and even the people who volunteer. Gentrification has had a major impact of families and individual in Chelsea. The Hudson Guild’s role as an outreach organization is the path through which Chelsea is rescuing itself from the recurring problems in their neighborhood. With the numerous benefits they provide the community with — adult services, youth development and education, early childhood education, mental health services, community building, and art programs —they have lessened the detrimental effects of gentrification. It unifies the people of Chelsea into one community. If no one will save them, then they will save themselves.
The once nice wooden crates are stacked outside with fresh tomatoes, carrots, avocados, apples, oranges, and more. Most of the groceries are unripe. The children push open the glass door and step inside. The clerk usually wears a smile that lights up the room, but today it is replaced with a glossy pair of eyes. He fails an attempt to smile at the kids. He has been a friend to the neighborhood ever since he opened this shop eleven years ago. The boy reaches into his pocket for a ten dollar bill and a grocery list. He examines the list with his sister, and they begin their hunt. Within a few minutes, the girl gives her brother the groceries. He then places them on the counter for the clerk to scan. The clerk’s voice rasps as he says, “That will be $12.50, please.” The boy worriedly places the ten dollar bill on the counter and scavenges his pockets for more money, although he knows it is useless. The clerk gives a small smile and says, “No worries, it’s on me.”
The boy sighs in relief and smiles back. The clerk prints out their receipt and hands them their grocery bag. “Thank you, we wish you the best, Mr. Wilcox,” the boy says as he pushes open the front door.
Small to big. Apartments to condos. Markets to boutiques. Businesses to corporations. Landlords are increasing rent, pushing people of low-income out and replacing them with people of higher-income. This gentrification not only displaces people, but it also causes physical and mental health problems. In his book Evicted (2016), Matthew Desmond states that more than half of people’s income goes towards maintaining the roof over their heads (Desmond 4). Families are forced out of their homes because of an unnecessary increase in rent. Gentrification has an immense impact, and when it occurs, it usually affects a whole community, which is why community support is important.
Gentrification is the processes of renovation of a current house or district generally causing an increase in rent and an alteration in the area’s character and culture. While renovation and modernization is a key in moving a neighborhood forward, Ken Jockers, the executive director of the Hudson Guild, says, “Unchecked poverty can destroy a neighborhood. But, unchecked wealth can do the same for other reasons” (Jockers). There is a fine line between the renewal of a neighborhood and the destruction caused throughout the process. The issue is not the restoration of an area; rather it is the slow process of individuals struggling to pay an increased rent. Gentrification causes many negative and positive effects, which is why it has become very controversial. Negative effects include the displacement of families and small business owners; however, the positive effects involve the reduction in crime, new investment in buildings and infrastructure, and the increase of economic activity in neighborhoods (Dinsdale). New York City has been heavily influenced by gentrification. People in New York are paying more for housing than necessary; in fact, rent increased two percent in the city between the years 1990 and 2000. Most families in New York are renting, and when there is a continual increase in property values, families live with the constant stress of how they are going to spend their money wisely on food and other living necessities (Abbey-Lambertz).
The effects gentrification has on neighborhoods is immense. Families struggle to pay rent and to provide their children with education and food. In Evicted (2016), Desmond asserts that families in the US are spending more than seventy percent of their income on paying their house rent and electricity bill (4). Being displaced may cause for a temporary or even permanent house in an unwelcoming neighborhood (3). Searching for cheap housing is like searching for water in a dessert, almost hopeless but not impossible. It is usually found in the darkest of places. Inexpensive apartments are typically seen in treacherous areas. Families who live in such neighborhoods do not feel safe letting their kids roam around the block. Another issue caused by living in an unstable house is that it starts an issue with keeping a job and getting one. When dealing with paying rent, working, and providing food and education for one’s children, people often become stressed. Too much stress causes illness, which is then another obstacle one must overcome while trying to maintain one’s house and job. People suffer from colossal amounts of loss throughout eviction. During the process of losing a home, people are not only deprived of their belonging such as books, clothes, and furniture, but also robbed of childhood schools and neighborhoods. Displacement denies people of long term connection to things in the physical world (Desmond).
One community that has been affected by gentrification is Chelsea, a neighborhood located in the Manhattan borough. The neighborhood is well known for its galleries, museums, and the High Line. Over a timeline of two hundred years, Chelsea has grown and developed greatly and has also been immensely affected by industrialization and gentrification. This constant change in the Chelsea neighborhood — the addition of “new high-end stores, and these useless art galleries ” (qtd. in Ray “Whose City is it?”) museums, and restaurants, is causing people to feel like outsiders in their own community. Chelsea can also be viewed as a model; it has a very diverse community not only in its culture but also in its various income rates; some apartment rents and property values have been kept at reasonable prices. The neighborhood has managed to avoid the outright displacement risks of gentrification and continue to renovate structures.
In her article “Whose City Is It?”, Barbara Ray establishes the Chelsea neighborhood to be “the poster child of gentrification.” Residents in the Chelsea neighborhood live in the constant fear that the new development will wipe them out (Ray). City governments have tried providing these communities like Chelsea with a form of solace by creating housing projects such as the Elliott-Chelsea houses. In her essay “In Chelsea, A Great Wealth Divide,” Mireya Navarro suggests that although these projects have helped, people continue to live with the relentless horror that the buildings will soon be turned over to the real estate market. Many people in Chelsea are affected by the issues caused by gentrification and react differently in trying to solve them. The Hudson Guild, an outreach organization, is the way Chelsea is helping itself find solutions to the problems in their neighborhood. The Hudson Guild has provided families with numerous benefits — adult services, youth development and education, early childhood education, mental health services, community building, and art programs — through which they have helped ease the negative effects of gentrification.
What was once a settlement house in 1886 called the Neighborhood Guild became the Hudson Guild in 1895. Dr. John Lovejoy Elliott was attracted to the neighborhood of Chelsea by the idea of helping the youth and working families. He provided them with a bountiful amount of programs. An example of his beginning work was when he motivated a group of boisterous boys into turning their street fighting into something productive; they created a boxing club called the “Hurly Burlies” (Hudson Guild). The Hudson Guild’s primary goal is to assist those who are in a financial demand to help them acquire their maximum potential. They not only believe in providing people with housing but also in acting like a sponsor. They care about one’s well being. They are a community of people whose priority is to create an environment from which people can only benefit. It continues to provide families with programs that are beneficial to the whole community. These programs are designed to help everyone in Chelsea, whether it is if one goes to school, work, or lives in the neighborhood.
In the numerous activities the Hudson Guild provides, adults can benefit from over sixty programs which take place every weekday. The adults utilizing the programs have the opportunity to get support in areas such as family, job search, mental stability, and entertainment. The Hudson Guild pushes each individual to “stay engaged in the community” (Hudson Guild). They want everyone to be a part of this organization. The Naturally Occurring Retirement Community guarantees that hundreds of seniors have the necessities for them to continue living independently. Crafts, shows, support groups, parties, bingo, and dances, are all activities allow older adults are able to connect with others in the community (Hudson Guild).
The Hudson Guild provides educational services to the youth of Chelsea in an array of different areas. Some of these areas include healthy eating, head starts in early onset education, curriculum tools and mental health. Within the youth development and education, the Hudson Guild also provides a variety of afterschool programs for the kids. This not only betters learning experiences for the kids, but also allows parents to have more time for work. It provides parents with the comfort of knowing that their kids have a safe place to go and they won’t be home alone. The afterschool programs also help children expand their interests and hobbies in order provide them for broader opportunities in the future. The Hudson Guild offers a spectrum of activities that include STEM and Literacy programs, tutoring, and a collection of creative arts consisting of dance, music, theater, and pottery. These programs both better the lives of adults and kids in the Chelsea community. It brings the kids a collection of opportunities to learn that they might not receive in their community school. The variety of programs that the Hudson Guild provides families and individuals with immensely betters the lives and futures of the youth of Chelsea.
The Hudson Guild Theater Company has provided the community with three yearly performances. Main concern is providing people who can’t afford live entertainment to have a chance of doing so. They are very inclusive to anyone in the community who want to participate in the production, whether it is on or off the stage and despite of their experience with either. The program even goes into schools and afterschool activities and encourages the youth to make good decisions in their daily lives. The Hudson Guild produced a series of dance, theater, and music called the “Performing Artworks!.” This group’s goal is to provide the children and families of the Chelsea community with an accessible form of entertainment.
Gentrification is inevitable. They are not looking for a band-aid for the problem. They are one step closer to the antidote. They are empowering and strengthening the community. Together they celebrate their community and variety of people. As a whole they take pride in their abilities in helping each other. In children’s books, the common idea of a prince rescuing the princess from a dragon is not what is happening in Chelsea. The neighborhood is not waiting for the government to make a difference and they are most certainly not waiting for gentrification take a toll on their lives. If they do not see the change they want happening, then why not step in and do it right themselves. This is exactly what the Hudson Guild is doing. The Hudson Guild provides these activities with pride; they know they are making a difference in the lives of low-income residents and even the people who volunteer. Gentrification has had a major impact of families and individual in Chelsea. The Hudson Guild’s role as an outreach organization is the path through which Chelsea is rescuing itself from the recurring problems in their neighborhood. With the numerous benefits they provide the community with — adult services, youth development and education, early childhood education, mental health services, community building, and art programs —they have lessened the detrimental effects of gentrification. It unifies the people of Chelsea into one community. If no one will save them, then they will save themselves.
Works Cited
Abbey-Lambertz, Kate. “How Sky-High Rents Are Radically Changing New York’s Neighborhoods.”
The Huffington Post. LendingTree, 12 May 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
Desmond, Matthew. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. New York: Crown Publishers,
2016. Print.
Dinsdale, James. Home Page. Chelsea MHC Spring 2014. WordPress, 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
Hansan, John. “Hudson Guild.” Social Welfare History Project, N.p. 18 Oct. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
Hudson Guild. Hudson Guild. N.p. N.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2017
Jockers, Ken. Personal Interview. 23 Feb. 2017.
Navarro, Mireya. “In Chelsea, a Great Wealth Divide.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23
Oct. 2015. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
Ray, Barbara. “Whose City Is It? The Promise and Peril of Gentrification.” Medium. Crosswalk
Magazine, 25 May. 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
Rebecca Solnit, Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, eds. Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas. Oakland:
University of California Press. 2016. Print.
”What is Gentrification?.” PBS SoCal. Public Broadcasting Service, 17 Jan. 2003. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
Abbey-Lambertz, Kate. “How Sky-High Rents Are Radically Changing New York’s Neighborhoods.”
The Huffington Post. LendingTree, 12 May 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
Desmond, Matthew. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. New York: Crown Publishers,
2016. Print.
Dinsdale, James. Home Page. Chelsea MHC Spring 2014. WordPress, 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
Hansan, John. “Hudson Guild.” Social Welfare History Project, N.p. 18 Oct. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
Hudson Guild. Hudson Guild. N.p. N.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2017
Jockers, Ken. Personal Interview. 23 Feb. 2017.
Navarro, Mireya. “In Chelsea, a Great Wealth Divide.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23
Oct. 2015. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
Ray, Barbara. “Whose City Is It? The Promise and Peril of Gentrification.” Medium. Crosswalk
Magazine, 25 May. 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
Rebecca Solnit, Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, eds. Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas. Oakland:
University of California Press. 2016. Print.
”What is Gentrification?.” PBS SoCal. Public Broadcasting Service, 17 Jan. 2003. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.