NAR Sponsors NFHA Program to Expand Housing Opportunities for Underserved Groups

WASHINGTON (July 18, 2022) – The National Association of REALTORS® announced Monday its sponsorship of the National Fair Housing Alliance’s annual conference, underway now, and NFHA’s Keys Unlock Dreams Initiative to expand housing opportunities for underserved groups.

NFHA, a consortium of more than 200 private nonprofit fair housing organizations and state and local civil rights agencies from throughout the United States, is gathering in Washington, DC, this week to explore policies to remove structural barriers to homeownership for underserved groups and expand fair housing. NAR members and staff are participating in the nation’s largest annual fair housing conference, which NAR sponsored.

NFHA’s Keys Unlock Dreams Initiative focuses on ten key cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Columbus, Detroit, Houston, Memphis, New Orleans, Oakland, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. NAR committed to helping fund the initiative for two years, which has five primary goals:

1. Remove structural barriers that perpetuate racial inequality;
2. Expand affordable and fair housing options;
3. Prevent an unbalanced recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic;
4. Empower consumers and stakeholders with critical information and resources; and
5. Help close the racial wealth and homeownership gaps.

Keys Unlock Dreams will advance these goals through research, policy advocacy, homeownership programs and products, and consumer education and outreach.

“The American Dream is for all,” said NAR President Leslie Rouda Smith. “We will continue to look for innovative ways to support fair housing and efforts to break down barriers to homeownership for those who have been historically excluded. Housing should be accessible, affordable and available to all qualified first-time and first-generation homebuyers.”

“The Keys Unlock Dreams Initiative will help ensure that underserved communities that too long have suffered from redlining and disinvestment are well-resourced,” according to the NFHA. “It will also provide underserved groups with greater access to homeownership, which gives people options and is a cornerstone of wealth building.”

“Homeownership is the key to building intergenerational wealth,” Rouda Smith continued. “With affordability at record lows due to rising mortgage rates and a persistent lack of supply, it will take a comprehensive approach across government, nonprofit, and the private sector to close the racial homeownership gap.”

The National Association of REALTORS® is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

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