A report finds Black homebuyers in Pennsylvania face hurdles to homeownership
Katie Blackley / 90.5 WESA
A report finds Black homebuyers in Pennsylvania face hurdles to homeownership
Katie Blackley / 90.5 WESA
A statewide report released Wednesday finds Black homebuyers still face substantial barriers to homeownership in Pennsylvania.
The report from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency followed more than 200 clients who worked with the agency’s network of housing counselors.
The report finds:
Among the report’s recommendations: down-payment assistance programs should be expanded but shouldn’t be so cumbersome as to put the people using them at a disadvantage when trying to buy a home, and lenders need better training about communicating with applicants of color.
The inquiry was commissioned after a 2018 investigation of home mortgage data by nonprofit news outlet Reveal that “found a pattern of troubling denials for people of color across the country.” Among the places reporters highlighted where would-be-homebuyers faced barriers was Philadelphia.
Rates of homeownership among whites are roughly 30 percentage points above the Black and Hispanic rates in Pennsylvania, the report noted, contributing to a wide racial wealth gap.
Homeownership is a way for families to build wealth, and thus it is critical that access to it be fair.
“If part of our citizenry is being categorically discriminated against during the homebuying process, it not only denies them a safe roof over their heads, but it reduces their opportunity to raise themselves up financially,” said Robin Wiessman, executive director and CEO of PHFA.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
The days of journalism’s one-way street of simply producing stories for the public have long been over. Now, it’s time to find better ways to interact with you and ensure we meet your high standards of what a credible media organization should be.