On Thursday, April 11th, the Greater Detroit Realtist Association and the Detroit Association (GDRA) of Realtors co-hosted the Fair Housing Brunch, held at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church. This event, held in conjunction with the national Realtist Week, not only commemorated the monumental strides of the past but also highlighted the path forward towards equitable homeownership for all.
The morning commenced with opening remarks from luminaries such as Tennitia Wilson, the GRDA Realtist Week Chair, and Reverend Charles C. Adams of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church. Among these speakers was Steve Tomkowiak, the executive director of The Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit, who articulated a resounding call to action: “Our eyes should never be off of homeownership.”
Tomkowiak elaborated, “In any homeownership discussion, homeownership is the goal. When it comes to rental family households versus homeownership family households, the data is stunning. Everything we do in housing should be focused on getting people into affordable homeownership. Anything our office can do to assist, we’re happy to do.”
During the event, there was also a panel discussion including the expertise of
- Drake Braun, Senior Loan Advisor Flagstar Bank
- Ken Corley, Community Lending Manager Chase Bank
- Scott Falconer, Sattelite Branch Manager Prime Lending
Discussions centered on topics ranging from community lending to mortgage affairs, underscoring the event’s commitment to fostering knowledge and empowerment within the community.
However, it was the heartfelt sentiments of individuals like Terance Bowers, immediate past president of the Detroit Association of Realtors, that highlighted the pressing need for collective actions to address the urgency of systemic homeownership disparities. “We’re in a state of emergency in regards to Black homeownership,” Bowers remarked.
He went on to shed light on the historical context of the Fair Housing Act and the ongoing challenges faced by minority communities in achieving homeownership. “NAREB, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, was actually started because Black people couldn’t work in the MLS (Multiple Listing Service Listing), nor was it accepting Black individuals who wanted to do business. NAREB actually pays attention to the homeownership rates for minorities. So, as of today, we’re actually about 3% to 4 % higher in regards to the homeownership rates that we had back in 1970, after the Fair Housing Act was enacted in 1968. It’s been about 50 years and we haven’t seen significant progress. Because of this reason and because of where the current state of housing is, especially here in Detroit, is why we’re having this Fair Housing Brunch and The NAREB 100-City Building Black Wealth Tour.”
Tennitia Wilson, GDRA Realtist Week Chair, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the important role of homeownership in wealth creation and economic mobility. “The basic foundation of wealth starts with homeownership,” Wilson declared. “The equity that you gain from homeownership allows you to pull money out and start small businesses, send your kids to. school, or go back to school yourself. That money is powerful and that’s why they’ve done so many things to keep us away from it. But if we could have that equity, we can do many things,” Wilson stated.
Wilson continued on to describe why events like the Fair Housing Brunch are important, “Today is extremely important as it marks the anniversary of The Fair Housing Act of 1968. Dr. Martin Luther King died and many of his cohorts worked very hard to promote fair housing, because shelter is vital. As we reflect on it, 55 years later, we want to know where we are today and where we’re going. So, NAREB has put a lot of energy in making Realtist Week big this year. We have so many partners, and sponsors working with us on our behalf to increase the economic status of our people.”
Wilson concluded with giving additional insight on why people are hesitant to become homeowners, “There are hundreds of mortgageable people out here who don’t know they’re mortgageable. They don’t have the consumer confidence to go out and buy. They have the fear of being declined, and the fear of not finding what they want. They need to know that we’re here for them 365 days a year, but especially this week. The 100-City Community Impact Day is going to be awesome because we’re going to be counseling and providing 1-on-1 housing counselors, and attorneys for whatever is needed to help them get ready, to not only buy a house, but to keep the ones that they inherited.”
As the day transitioned into evening, the Young Realtist Division of NAREB hosted a Speed-Networking Mixer at “The Other Place” located in Detroit. Brunch attendees were invited to attend to network, dance and more. Here are photos from that event. Photo credit: Porsha Monique for rolling out.
