Homeownership: Advancing Fair Housing and Wealth Creation

On Wednesday, June 24, NAHRO hosted a webinar on homeownership moderated by NAHRO CEO Adrianne Todman.

The three speakers who joined the conversation each promote fair housing and wealth creation through their work. Lisa Rice, the President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), spoke about the ways in which COVID-19 reveals inequities that already exist in America. She noted that Black individuals are dying at higher rates from COVID-19. In Chicago, for instance, Black people make up only 30 percent of the population, but represented 69 percent of COVID-19 deaths as of April 6, 2020. Rice believes the disparities are tied to unequal housing, education, transportation, and other necessities in communities across the country, and quoted Fred Freiberg from the Fair Housing Justice Center of New York as saying, “Housing discrimination and segregation are killing people.”

Rice also explained that there are at least two ways to promote fair housing and homeownership on a large scale. First, there should be an increase affordable housing options in neighborhoods with better opportunities. Second, there is a need for equitable development in neighborhoods with historic disinvestment. Housing agencies can work with other sectors in the community, including health departments and financial investors, to create local strategies for overcoming housing discrimination. Lisa pointed out that part of the original intent of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule was to motivate this kind of strategic planning in housing.

Two NAHRO members then spoke about their agencies’ homeownership efforts. Tammy Burkwald is the Homeownership Coordinator for Greensboro Housing Authority in North Carolina. She manages a homeownership program that helps Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) participants purchase homes. The program has resulted in at least 190 home purchases. Tammy is a HUD Certified Housing Counselor who provides one-on-one counseling on fair housing, credit improvement, and homeownership topics. She answered an audience question about becoming certified by responding that the best first step is to contact your local HUD office for more information.

The final speaker was Beverly Moore, the Deputy Executive Director of Allegheny County Housing Authority in Pennsylvania. For the past 15-20 years, the agency has implemented homeownership programs. They designated 15 standalone units in a HOPE IV development as homes they would eventually sell to residents. Habitat for Humanity partnered with the authority to construct 5 of the homes. Recently, the authority hired a service coordinator who is also a licensed real estate professional. The service coordinator joined the webinar to share a success story from an FSS participant. When the participant completed the FSS program, she had saved $22,000 and was able to purchase her first home. Beverly encouraged other housing agencies to work with their residents on homeownership whenever possible.