The 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act is punctuated by President Elect Obama and the "first family" moving into the White House this month. Whether one considers the imagery from the Presidential campaigns, the real estate industries commitment to equal professional service, or the profound and clear economic realities of our nations changing real estate demographics, as fair housing stakeholders we have much to celebrate, but much more to do.
Every community has an interest in promoting fair housing. Fair housing builds strong and healthy communities and a strong economy. It is a common belief that the strengthening of the real estate markets will lead our economy out of recession.
We have 40 years of experience to learn from and that in many instances celebrate our accomplishments. However, we must also admit that the current enforcement system does not work. One only needs to examine the prevalence of predatory lending targeted at African American and Latino families and the related community impact on housing values, schools, and the tax base to graphically illustrate this point.
One group often overlooked in these statistics are women. The Consumer Federation of America released a study in December of 2006 showing that women were more likely than men to be put into higher-cost subprime mortgages, regardless of their credit and income when compared to men in the same market.
As the new Administration's begins it's transition work, we must acknowledge that discrimination persists in our country despite laws prohibiting such conduct. Now is the time to act in partnership to affirm equal housing opportunity and invest in strong communities that celebrate homeownership.
The National Community Reinvestment Coalition has recommended the establishment of a new cabinet-level agency focused on civil rights enforcement. This agency would report directly to the President of the United States and would be responsible for measuring, monitoring, and eliminating all forms of discrimination from our society once and for all. And, given the importance of housing to accessing opportunities for social and economic advancement, housing related laws would be among the new agency's highest priorities.
This new cabinet-level agency would not supplant the civil rights responsibilities of other federal agencies. It would develop a strategic plan to coordinate the activities of all agencies.
Finally, this agency would develop and support public service campaigns to help educate the public on this important issue. It would participate in affirmative marketing and related efforts to promote a more integrated and inclusive society.
Joan Rogliano created the Wildflower Group, an organization that strives to empower women with practical information about real estate investing and home ownership. For more information email Joan@roglianorealestategroup.com or visit www.wildflowergroup.net.
Comments(1)