Las Vegas, NV (KXNT) — According to U.S. Census data, a significant homeownership gap exists between Black and white households nationally and especially in Southern Nevada.
To help close the Black homeownership gap in the Las Vegas Valley and assist thousands of families to get on a path to homeownership, Homie, a tech-based real estate company convened a diverse group of community leaders and organizations who today announced the creation of the Coalition to Make Homes Possible.
Homie is sponsoring the coalition whose founding members include the Urban Chamber of Commerce, Nevada Housing Division, city of Las Vegas, Nevada Partners, National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), NID Housing Counseling Agency of Southern Nevada, and AmeriFirst Financial.
In Southern Nevada, only 35 percent of Blacks are homeowners, compared to a supermajority for white households. The collective mission of the Coalition’s founding partners is to close this Black homeownership gap by empowering up to 25,000 families with the resources to achieve homeownership over the next ten years, including down-payment assistance, financial coaching, credit repair, housing counseling, and real estate services.
Announcing the coalition announcing the program on the steps of the Las Vegas City Hall Tuesday - Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman was joined by President of the Urban Chamber of Commerce Ken Evans, Executive Director of Nevada Partners Kenadie Cobbin-Richardson, Las Vegas professional football player Nelson Agholor, Vice President of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) Shanta Patton, and Elias Benjelloun, head of Homie Helps Las Vegas, Homie’s community service initiative.
The Coalition plans to hold regular educational events, virtually and in person, as appropriate. The first Coalition event will be an online “Master Class on Building Black Wealth with Homeownership” on Saturday, Feb. 27, 10 a.m. to noon, during which participants will learn the ABCs of homeownership and how to access up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance funding, housing counseling, and other resources to create a personalized plan to buy a home.
Residents can register for the webinar and learn more about the Coalition at www.MakeHomesPossible.org.