b'HOMEOWNERSHIP . continued from page 5studentloanpayments,debtcol- SHIBAreportwerediscussedtoday lection,andzerointerestprovi- atNAREBs2ndAnnualNational sions through the end of the pan- Conversation on Black Homeownership. demic crisis. Speakers focused on similar themesRestorefairhousingregulatorythat called out the federal government protectionsformalizingtheFairfor its long-term, intentional complic-HousingActsdisparateimpactityinpromotingrace-basedpublic standard. policythatworksagainstthegrowthReform the HUD 203k program. ofBlackhomeownership.Thatsenti-ment can be summed up in remarksRequiretheOpportunityZonegiven by Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, fundsbedirectedtolong-termIII,SeniorPastorofFriendship-West residents versus investors. Baptist Church in Dallas, TX when heEstablishaRenaissancesaid,publicpolicysetthestagefor NeighborhoodProgramtobolsterracial disparity.Blackhomeownershipinhistori- Marc Morial, National Urban League callyredlinedneighborhoodsandpresidentsaidthatBlackAmericans transform communities. must be just as intentional in reclaim- IncreaseFHAlendingandothering our piece of the dirt that has been downpaymentassistancepro- deniedtoBlackAmericanssincethe gramsinareaswithlowBlackReconstruction era. homeownership rates. OtherpanelistsdirectedtheirAlterthetreatmentofstudentremarkstomillennialsandGenX-er loans in the Debt-to-Income (DTI)audience members and discussed the formula to include only the report- importance of understanding credit far ed payment amount. earlierintheirlivesandhowhavingAt the state level, evaluate inclu- good or poor credit affects their ability sionary zoning programs and theirto purchase a home. Will Roundtree, effects on Black communities. founderofLasVegas,NV-basedWE Managementsaidthatcreditwill becomethenewdollar.FormerNFL Therearesolutions.ThereareplayerRayCrocketturgedtheaudi-publicandprivatesectorremedies,enceto,buythehousebeforethe Williamssaid.NAREBcontinuestocar get your credit rightand under-advocateandpushtheenvelopebystand what you value. Rental Kharma heighteningawarenessinallsectorsspokesperson,LynnePooleremarked that homeownership not only increas- thatBlackrenterswiththincredit esthewealthbuildingcapacityofprofilesneedtousenon-traditional BlackAmericans,butalsoservestodigitalplatformslikeRentalKharma strengthen the nations and communi- that report rental payments, which are ties economic outlook. not typically counted in developing a Theseandotherfindingsfromthefavorable credit rating.BODY OF CHRIST NEWS NOVEMBER 2020 11'