b"WORD OF GODBias, Wealth Gap are Barriers Follow the Spirit's Leading to Black HomeownershipBy Mary Lu Saddoris W ASHINGTON,DC-ThenHomeownershipisthelarg-NationalAssociationofRealestcomponentofmedianhouse-EstateBrokers(NAREB)todayhold wealth, accounting for 67% of M y dear ones, go forth and openreleased its 2021 State of Housing yourmonth.SpeakforthmyinBlackAmerica(SHIBA)Report. Wordstoday.Dearchild,IhaveThecomprehensivestudyfinds begun a new thing in this house. See,thatthegapinhomeownership even now it does spring forth. Do notbetween Black and White familiesThere are new biased despise small beginnings. is wider today than in the decades Be hold, I AM doing a work in eachwhenhousingdiscriminationwaspractices that are legal.person here . This is my revival fire.AccordingtotheU.S.Census,obstructing Black No man can quench this fire. My fireas of the second quarter of 2021, willspreadfromheretooverthere.theBlackhomeownershipratehomeownership in Child, my Holy Spirit will fan this fire. Many will be drawn to this place bywas 44.6% compared to 74.2% forcommunities across the myHolySpirit.MyHolySpiritwillWhites, a gap of 29.6%. Incredibly, draw all here into my Truth. No onein1960,beforetheCivilRightscountry. For instance, movement and Fair Housing laws, will be deceived or fooled. They will gothere was a 27-point gap betweenhousing providers often forth in my holy name and power toBlackhomeownership(38%)and set the captives free. Mary Lu Saddoris White homeownership (65%). dont advertise available Many are so lost and they cannotThe SHIBA report takes a critical findtheway.MyHolySpiritwilllook at the causes for the dispar- units and discriminatory Wordislivingandactive.IAMtheityinBlackhomeownershiprates leadyouandguideyou.Again,ILiving Word. Know that my Word willwhencomparedtoWhitesanddigital marketing has saygoforthandspeakmyWords.accomplish exactly what I have calledrecommendsinitiativesaimedat FollowtheSpirit'sleading.Pressonit to do. Do not hesitate - know thatclosing the gap, said Lydia Pope,become more common mychild.Timeissoveryshort.as my Word is spoken, it will divideNAREBs President, noting that in Donotshrinkback,preciouschild.soul from spirit, bones from marrow.thepast15yearsBlackhome- due to the proliferation Open your mouth and speak forth my WordsofTruthandLife.MywordsMyWordjudgesthethoughtsandownershipexperiencedthesharp- of social media will indeed open the prison doors. Seeattitudes of a man's heart. Nothing isestdeclineofanydemographic. child, the prisoners coming forth fromhidden from my eyes. Blackshavemadelittle,ifany,and online housing their bondage. Their chains have beenIAMcallingforrepentance.IAMstrides at closing the homeowner-broken indeed. They have been set socalling for all to come unto me. Theyshipgap.Systemicdiscriminatoryadvertising. We need regulationsandpoliciescontinue very free.will not know unless you go forth andto thwart any meaningful effort atnew tools to address Know child, this is part of the endtellthemofmyloveandplansforincreasing Black homeownership.times harvest. Come dear one, comethem. I desire for none to be lost andMuchoftheoverthousingdis- this new wave of and walk a while in my harvest field.no one to be left behind. crimination prior to the 1968 Fair Come, I will lead and guide you dearI AM calling in this midnight hour forHousing Act has declined, but thehousing discrimination.one. There is much work to be done. the redeemed of the Lord to stand up andSHIBAreportfoundthathous-KnowthatmyWordisTruth.Mysay so. My dear, dear, precious child. ingdiscriminationstillflourishes. Moresubtleformsofracialbias haveemergedandbecomecom-mon, such as racial steering, wherean average households net worth. real estate agents deliberately steerHome equity averages 70% a Black Blackhomebuyersawayfromhouseholds net worth, compared to Many are so lost and they cannotWhiteneighborhoodsandtoward59% of a White household, demon-neighborhoods with larger concen- stratingtheBlackdependenceon trations of people of color. Or whenhome equity to build wealth.find the way. My Holy Spirit will leadBlack homebuyers are denied basicSeveralmetropolitanareas information and offered fewer hous- n you and guide you. Again, I say goingoptionsthanWhitehomebuy- withgrowingBlackpopulations ers. have homeownership rates that are Therearenewbiasedpracticeswellbelowtheirnationalaverage. forth and speak my Words. FollowthatareobstructingBlackInMinneapolis,forexample,only homeownershipincommunities25%ofBlackfamiliesowntheir across the country, said Pope. For the Spirit's leading. Press on myinstance,housingprovidersoftenhomes,makingMinneapolisthe U.S.metropolitanareawiththe dont advertise available units andlowestBlackhomeownershiprate child. Time is so very short. Do notdiscriminatorydigitalmarketingin the nation.has become more common due to the proliferation of social media andn In 2020, Black mortgage loan shrink back, precious child. Openonline housing advertising. We needdenials(16%)morethandoubled new tools to address this new waveWhitedenials(7%),percentages your mouth and speak forth myof housing discrimination. largely unchanged since 2019. TheSHIBAreportisacompletenEvenwhenBlackssecured Words of Truth and Life. My wordsanalysisofBlackhomeownership,mortgages,theyfacesubstantial discriminatorybarriersthatchallengestobuildingequity.Not potential homeowners face and theonly are their loans more costly than will indeed open the prison doors.governmentprogramsthathaveWhites, but their homes appreciate failedtoincreaseBlackwealthorless or are valued less than similar See child, the prisoners coming forthincrease homeownership. Here arehomesinWhitecommunities, somesignificantfindingsfromtheevenafterconsideringhousing report: characteristics.ABrookings from their bondage. Their chainsThe typical White family holdsstudyshowsthathomesinBlack nneighborhoodsappraisedfor23% eighttimestheamountofwealthlessthansimilarhomesinWhite have been broken indeed. They haveheldbythetypicalBlackfamily,neighborhoods. study shows that a disparity that translates into anA 2021 Redfin been set so very free.estimated $24,100 media net worthhomesinBlackneighborhoodare for Black households compared toundervalued by $46,000 on average, $188,200forWhitefamilies.Thea gap that has been constant over pattern of substantial racial wealththe past decade.disparity is unchanged since 2016. BODY OF CHRIST NEWS DECEMBER 2021 9"