Black Home Initiative (BHI)

We aspire to reach a time when the homeownership rates for Black communities in Washington state will be equal to those of their white peers. 

Black Home Initiative & BHI 7-Point Plan

Discriminatory housing practices and decades of disinvestment, have a long history in our communities — creating a staggering wealth gap that persists today. Black Home Initiative (BHI) targets the racial inequities at the core of the housing ecosystem in an effort to increase homeownership among Black households.

As HDC, we share in the widespread sense of urgency: never has it been more imperative that we do everything in our power to nurture systems that promote racial equity. This is a deeply embedded part of our mission. It is well known that families thrive when they have the opportunity to build assets and pass them down to future generations. For wealthier households, building intergenerational wealth typically includes owning property. But systemic barriers have excluded many Black families from accessing this path to prosperity.

Black Home Initiative (BHI) is a new regional effort to address these systemic injustices. The goal: generate 1,500 new Black first-time low-to-moderate income homeowners in the next five years in South Seattle, South King County and North Pierce County. This multi-sector initiative is part of a national effort by the Center for Community Investment (CCI) to target racial inequities in housing across six U.S. cities. Our partner, Civic Commons is the convening organization for the Seattle site. To achieve this goal we must all work together to implement the BHI 7-Point Plan, a comprehensive plan that was the result of the collaborative work of more than 90 partners.

BHI Network Policy Group

HDC leads the policy advocacy work of the 7-Point Plan by coordinating a coherent policy strategy and bringing the BHI Network together around a collective advocacy agenda. To accomplish this HDC convenes the BHI Network Policy Group and produces a BHI Network Policy Group Digest that keeps everyone connected. The BHI Network Policy Group consists of 125+ stakeholders who work together to produce a Homeownership Policy Framework aimed at addressing the persistent historic inequities. The framework delineates which local/city/county/state policy actions would most effectively increase Black homeownership and it is presented at a December BHI Network Policy Summit. The summit is the advocacy kick-off as stakeholders prepare to mobilize for the upcoming legislative session. This policy and advocacy work, focused on increasing the supply of and access to affordable homeownership, is essential to the success of BHI. The Homeownership Policy Framework includes policy strategies in four areas: Zoning and Regulatory Reform, Cost Reduction, Large Scale Acquisition of Land, and Funding, for both the supply and demand side of the homeownership equation.

Use Your Voice For Change

We are building a BHI Network; of people inspired and driven to take action to close the racial homeownership and wealth gaps, and of those ready to roll up their sleeves and advocate for homeownership across the Puget Sound Region. This effort will take all of us coming together to make change possible. Be a part of the policy change needed to meet our BHI goals! Sign up to receive the BHI Network Policy Group Digest. If you would like to attend the BHI Network Policy Group meetings please reach out to our Homeownership Policy Coordinator, Bambi Chávez, at [email protected].

The Black Homeownership 7-Point Plan

This Black Homeownership 7-Point Plan was led by the Coalition for More Housing Choices, in partnership with the following organizations:

2022 BHI Network Policy Summit: Where Equity Commitment Meets Action

Panelist discuss systemic barriers to Black homeownership and offer solutions to equitably address the crisis. A discussion between Donald King (Nehemiah Initiative), Nicole Bascomb-Green (US Bank), and Michelle Merriweather (Urban League) on “Lost Legacies & Why This Work Is Imperative”. King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay addresses “Producing A Variety of Affordable Home Options for Black Homeownership”. State Representative Frank Chopp addresses “Funding Affordable Homes for Black Homeownership”. And the summit concludes with a conversation about “Mobilizing for Change” with Kateesha Atterberry (Urban Black), Rep. Chopp, and Donald King, moderated by Patience Malaba (HDC).

Homeownership Disparities Work Group Report

Resources

What we are reading or watching about Black Homeownership: