CAAR promotes fair housing at Regional Housing and Homelessness Summit

The Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS® (CAAR) has been awarded a $5,000 National Association of REALTORS® Diversity Initiative Grant to promote fair housing and assist in sponsoring the inaugural “Opening the Door” Regional Housing and Homelessness Summit, being held on Friday, April 19 at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel.

To continue the efforts of bringing the community together and supporting diversity and inclusivity, CAAR wanted to take an active role to promote and advocate fair housing, and all that it entails, to the audience of the summit – elected officials and other leaders from the public, private, and non-sectors.

“CAAR believes that fair housing is an essential topic to address as part of the inaugural Regional Housing and Homelessness Summit, said CAAR President Tele Jenifer. “Our Association hopes to provide support and resources to the conversations during this summit and beyond.”

Bringing fair housing to a local housing summit has been a year in the making and was inspired by the National Association of REALTORS® “Fair Housing at 50: Expanding Access to Opportunity” report, authored by Lisa Sturtevant, PhD in May 2018.

Made possible by the grant, CAAR was able to enlist Lisa Sturtevant, PhD., now Virginia REALTORS® Chief Economist, to be the lunch keynote speaker of the summit. Her presentation “Home Matters: Delivering on the Promise of Housing Opportunity” will reflect how affordable housing is vital to individual, family, and community well-being, as well as address how the promise of housing opportunities has not reached all.”