HOWARD COUNTY, MD, August 27, 2021 - The Howard County Association of REALTORS® (HCAR) was awarded a $10,000 grant from the National Association of Realtors®' (NAR) Housing Opportunity Program to provide homeowners education to Howard County's Hispanic Communities. HCAR will partner with Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Maryland (CCCSMD) to launch the "Housing Opportunities for All, HoCo" program.

 

"Realtors® build communities and work hard to make the American Dream a reality for millions of Americans each year," said HCAR President Shirley Matlock, CRS. "This grant will help raise awareness about the need for more housing opportunities in Howard County while supporting our fight to increase the availability of affordable housing units. Because of this grant, homeownership will now be attainable for countless additional families across this community."

 

It is the goal of HCAR and CCCSMD to help bridge the gap between Howard County's Hispanic communities and homeownership. According to multiple published studies, there are various threats that Hispanic Americans face relating to financial literacy and personal finance. Some of these include inequities in pay, a lower rate of understanding regarding personal finance, an increased likelihood to experience financial and material hardship compared to other Americans, and a multitude of other financial challenges. Howard County Hispanic residents are not immune to these challenges. The lack of awareness and utilization of Howard County resources by the Hispanic population is a growing concern throughout the local area.

 

The "Housing Opportunities for All, HoCo" program will offer a series of workshops to these targeted consumer groups to provide information on their rights under Fair Housing law, basic homeownership introductory information, local affordable housing options and resources, and more. This will be a yearlong program, with classes offered quarterly in both English and Spanish, for a total of eight classes. These classes will be taught at HCAR and online with hopes of launching the program in November 2021.

 

"It is our collective goal with CCCSMD to deliver these classes to help increase Hispanic homeownership in the area, influence a decrease in the wealth gap between Hispanics and non-Hispanics, and to inspire ongoing empowerment and impact in the local Hispanic community," Matlock said.

 

Nationwide, NAR offers Housing Opportunity Grants to various state and local Realtor® Associations in an effort to support a wide range of housing opportunity initiatives, including housing symposia; home buyer education or housing fairs; counseling and financial literacy efforts; housing needs studies; and Realtor® affordable education.

 

For more information on the "Housing Opportunities for All, HoCo" program, visit www.hcar.org. To find out more information about the NAR Housing Opportunity Program visit, https://realtorparty.realtor/community-outreach/housing-opportunity.