April is National Fair Housing Month and Diversity Awareness Month, both necessary priorities for our industry and organization. According to the 2022 Global Real Estate DEI Survey, there is plenty of headroom in corporate boardrooms for change, and “a clear sense among the global real estate community that more must be done to level up opportunities for underrepresented groups.”

As a leader of one of the world’s largest real estate companies, this is a topic I am very passionate about, not only because it is vital for helping to build the communities we serve but also because it’s business critical for the future of our industry.

The Fight for Fair Housing Continues

National Fair Housing Month is a crucial time for us to learn and reflect on the importance of equal access to housing and to recommit ourselves to the fight for justice and equality.

At its core, fair housing is about creating communities that are inclusive, diverse, and welcoming to all people, regardless of their race, religion, gender or identity. When we fail to provide fair housing opportunities, we perpetuate discrimination and inequality, denying people the basic human right to shelter and security. Honoring National Fair Housing Month reminds us that while we have made progress in this fight, we still have more work ahead of us.

Frustrating data from NAR’s 2023 Snapshot of Race and Homebuying in America reveals that while “the homeownership rate has increased across racial/ethnic groups in the last decade, the Black homeownership rate continues to lag well behind (at 44%).” And while Hispanic Americans have made gains in the last decade, homeownership rates today are just over 50% (50.6%).  Most disappointingly, “when recent home buyers were asked whether they experienced discrimination in a real estate transaction, 8% of Black/African American and 4% of Asian/Pacific Islander home buyers experienced discrimination based on race.” As an industry, these numbers are unacceptable.

Anywhere is proud to honor and advocate for fair housing through several events created to raise awareness and educate our employees, agents, brokers and partners. Together, we have the power and the responsibility to create positive change in the communities we live and operate in, and we encourage everyone in the real estate industry to become educated on fair housing issues and be an active advocate for equal access to homeownership — without bias or discrimination.

Part one of a two-part series
PART 2
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About Debbie Higgins
Debbie Higgins McLean is Senior Vice President, Human Resources, for Anywhere Real Estate’s Support Services teams as well as for Anywhere Integrated Services. She is responsible for development and collaboration of the strategic talent initiatives for each of her client groups- helping her leaders relentlessly focus on talent and empowering our everyone’s next move. See her profile on LinkedIn.