The History of (Un)fair Housing in Buffalo

By Griffin Schultz

Buffalo’s housing landscape did not develop by chance. Like many cities across the United States, patterns of segregation and inequality in Buffalo are the result of decades of public policy, private practices, and unequal enforcement of fair housing laws. Understanding this history is essential to understanding why fair housing work remains so important today.

In the early and mid-20th century, federal and local policies worked together to shape where people could and could not live. One of the most significant of these was redlining, carried out by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation. Neighborhoods in Buffalo with Black residents (primarily on the East Side) were labeled “hazardous” for investment. As a result, banks denied mortgages in these areas, while predominantly white neighborhoods had greater access to loans and financial resources. This practice severely limited opportunities for Black families to build wealth through homeownership.

At the same time, private housing practices reinforced segregation. Racially restrictive covenants were written into property deeds, explicitly prohibiting the sale of homes to Black residents and other marginalized groups. Although these covenants were eventually ruled unenforceable, their effects lingered for decades. Real estate agents also engaged in “steering” which involved directing white homebuyers toward certain neighborhoods while limiting where Black families could search for housing. Public and private institutions worked for decades to keep Black residents from moving west of Main Street, using tools such as zoning, lending discrimination, and blockbusting.

Local development decisions further deepened these divides. The construction of the Kensington Expressway in the mid-20th century cut directly through a thriving Black neighborhood along Humboldt Parkway, which was kept secret from the African American residents it would affect. This project displaced thousands of residents and created a lasting physical and economic barrier between communities. Similarly, urban renewal initiatives cleared large sections of the East Side, often relocating displaced residents into already segregated and under-resourced neighborhoods while failing to provide equitable relocation options..

As these changes took place within the city, suburban growth accelerated in surrounding communities such as Amherst and Cheektowaga. However, access to these areas was not equal. Exclusionary zoning policies and lending practices often excluded lower-income families and people of color, reinforcing a pattern in which white households moved to the suburbs while Black residents remained concentrated within the city, setting up a pattern of racial and economic separation that continues to shape the region today.

These policies did more than determine where people lived—they shaped access to resources. The concentration of Black residents on Buffalo’s East Side, where more than 80% of the city’s Black population resides, is directly tied to this history of segregation. Disinvestment in these neighborhoods has had lasting impacts, including limited access to essential services such as grocery stores, healthcare, and transportation, which can ultimately be summed up as a true food apartheid.

These disparities came into national focus following the 2022 Buffalo Tops Market massacre which took ten precious Black lives and took place in the heart of a predominantly Black neighborhood. The store itself was not incidental, but rather the result of a decade-long community effort to bring a full-service supermarket to the area. For many residents, it was one of the only accessible grocery options.

The conditions that made this neighborhood vulnerable both to violence and to food insecurity are not accidental. They are the result of what researchers and advocates describe as “segregation by design.” Historic redlining, disinvestment, and exclusionary development patterns have created a landscape in which predominantly Black neighborhoods have fewer resources and fewer opportunities. In Erie County, studies have shown that Black neighborhoods have significantly fewer supermarkets than white neighborhoods, even when accounting for income. These disparities often described as “food deserts” are mislabeled, when in actuality the correct description for these regions barred from access to fresh, nutritious food  is “food apartheid,” emphasizing the structural forces that created them.

Despite these challenges, community members and local organizations have long worked to strengthen East Buffalo. Efforts to expand food access, support local businesses, and build community-owned resources demonstrate both resilience and leadership. These initiatives highlight an important truth: while inequities are structural, the solutions are too.

The passage of the Fair Housing Act marked a turning point, making housing discrimination illegal nationwide. New York State expanded on these protections through its Human Rights Law, which includes additional protected classes. These laws created important tools to challenge discrimination, but they did not erase the structural inequalities that had already been established. Laws alone cannot undo decades of segregation, disinvestment, and abandonment.

Today, Buffalo remains one of the most segregated metropolitan areas in the country. Many of the patterns created by earlier policies (such as disparities in homeownership, neighborhood investment, and access to opportunity) are still visible. Modern forms of discrimination, including subtle steering, unequal lending practices, and source of income discrimination, continue to limit housing choice for many residents. Prejudice continues to hide behind procedure and history continues to repeat itself. An example of this is how residents in Buffalo’s East Side Fruit Belt neighborhood have been victims of displacement yet again, this time in the continuing growth of the Medical Campus. This is why fair housing enforcement, education, and advocacy remain critical.

This history underscores a key lesson: passing fair housing laws is only the first step. Fair housing is not just about preventing discrimination today, but about addressing the lasting impacts of past policies. Ongoing enforcement, education, and advocacy are necessary to ensure that these protections are meaningful in practice. Organizations like HOME play a critical role in this effort by investigating discrimination, educating the public, and supporting those who have been denied equal access to housing. Ensuring equal access to housing also means ensuring access to the resources and opportunities that make communities thrive.

April is Fair Housing month, and this Fair Housing Month it is more important than ever to reflect on Buffalo’s housing history and recognize the pervasive patterns that persist today. If you believe you have experienced housing discrimination, you are not alone, and help is available.