Can We Finally Close Racial Homeownership Gaps? Insights from Three New Initiatives
Location: Virtual
Speaker(s): Nikitra Bailey, Doreen Graves, Chris Herbert, Chrystal Kornegay
The persistent and substantial gap in homeownership rates between white households and households of color has greatly contributed to growing wealth disparities. Previous efforts to close these gaps, which have primarily focused on promoting homeownership in low- and moderate-income communities, have fallen short. However, several promising new efforts attempt to address the underlying issues through comprehensive, race-conscious, place-based initiatives that have been developed and implemented in collaborative ways.
Join us for a conversation with the leaders of three efforts to close the homeownership gap. Nikitra Bailey of the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) will discuss Keys Unlock Dreams, an NHFA/Urban Institute initiative which aims to close racial wealth and homeownership gaps in 10 US cities. Doreen Graves will share information about Convergence Memphis, an initiative led by the Mortgage Bankers Association and Tennessee Housing Development Agency that aims to increase African American homeownership in Memphis. And Chrystal Kornegay will provide an overview of MassHousing’s CommonWealth Builder Program, which seeks to create homeownership opportunities and build generational wealth in communities of color, particularly in the state’s Gateway Cities. Chris Herbert, Managing Director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies, will moderate.
Download Slides (PDF):
- Nikitra Bailey – National Fair Housing Alliance
- Doreen Graves – Convergence Memphis
- Chrystal Kornegay – MassHousing
Watch the Video:
Co-Sponsor(s): Harvard Multidisciplinary Program in Inequality & Social Policy