Despite high prices and unfavorable interest rates, wealth building through homeownership is still a dream for many. But homeownership is not always a clear path to wealth and is sometimes out of reach entirely, especially for households of color. Because of disparities in income and family wealth, real estate market discrimination, appraisal bias, and other factors, households of color face headwinds both as aspiring homeowners and after owning their home. In this event, we explore innovative programs developed to navigate such headwinds. Some programs are working to create better conditions for intergenerational wealth building and access to future homeownership, while others are providing new ways of financing aspiring homeowners once they are ready.

Please join the Urban Institute and practitioners from the Housing Innovation Program to learn about innovative approaches to overcoming homeownership barriers through new financial products, enhanced supports, and more equitable systems. Panelists will speak about the full arc of ownership from prepurchase to postpurchase to ensure homeownership improves financial stability and builds wealth for households of color.

Event Agenda & Speakers

Opening Remarks

• Sarah Rosen Wartell, President, Urban Institute

• Jennie Sparandara, Head of Programs, Corporate Responsibility, JPMorgan Chase

   

Keynote

• Alanna McCargo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco

   

Framing Presentation

•  Michael Neal, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute

   

Panel: Tactics to increase likelihood of homeownership 

• Patricia Garcia Duarte, Executive Vice President of Homeownership Initiatives, UnidosUS Affiliate Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc.

• Amy Rowe, Impact and Evaluation Director, Homewise

• Tammy Thompson, Executive Director, Catapult Greater Pittsburgh

• Jimmy Stuart, Chief External Affairs Officer, Compass Working Capital 

• Janneke Ratcliffe, Vice President for Housing Finance Policy and Interim Vice President for Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy, Urban Institute (moderator) 

Panel: Innovations in financing and homeowner supports

• Kylie Hong, Mortgage Underwriting Lending Manager, Build Wealth MN, Inc.

• Oswaldo Acosta, President & CEO, City First Enterprises

• Aisha Weeks, Managing Director, Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth   

• Stuart Yasgur, President, Economic Architecture

• Chrystal Kornegay, Chief Executive Officer, MassHousing (moderator) 

   

About the Housing Innovation Program

The Urban Institute has partnered with JPMorgan Chase to identify, test, and scale promising approaches to improve housing stability and affordability for Black, Hispanic, Latino, and other households of color through the Housing Innovation Program. The program is part of JPMorgan Chase’s broader efforts to advance racial equity and close the housing affordability gap.  

This event’s panelists are part of the Wealth Building through Homeownership cohort of grantees advancing innovative models that improve access and affordability for first-time homebuyers of color and help existing homeowners of color build greater wealth and financial resilience over time. Further information on these grantees and the Housing Innovation Program is available at http://www.urban.org/housing-innovation-program.