The Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS, which serves the D.C. region, and the nonprofit organization Capital Area Asset Builders have partnered for a series of educational opportunities to help underprivileged individuals and families achieve homeownership.
The three-year partnership features a series of real-time online workshops in both D.C. and Montgomery County, with each providing daily hourlong classes during a five-day period on these topics:
• Understanding Your Financial Relationship.
• The Art of Budgeting.
• Take Charge of Your Credit.
• Understanding Your Financial Rights.
• Pay Yourself First.
“Providing the chance for someone who has never owned a home to achieve that dream can have a lasting impact on that family for generations,” said Jan Brito, 2021 GCAAR president. “Fair housing, which is a core tenet of our REALTOR Code of Ethics, depends on a free, open market that embraces equal opportunity. Our partnership with CAAB will help to level the playing field and make that equal opportunity a reality for many families.”
GCAAR cited statistics from national organization Prosperity Now, which noted that six out of every 10 households in the District do not own their home, compared to four out of every 10 in Montgomery County who are not homeowners.
In the District, 50% of Black households own a home compared with 70% of White households, according to Prosperity Now.
“Homeownership has historically been the best way to build wealth, and our partnership with GCAAR will help us do that for the benefit of low- and moderate-income families in our region,” said Joseph Leitmann-Santa Cruz, CAAB’s CEO and executive director.
The first two series of workshops are scheduled for the week of June 14 in the District, during National Homeownership Month, and the week of Oct. 18 in Montgomery County. Additional details and information is available at “Starting the Journey to Becoming a Home Owner — Capital Area Asset Builders.”