ADDRESSING THE RACIAL HOMEOWNERSHIP G A P NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE

The National Urban League (NUL) is a historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization. Driven to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and justice for our nation’s marginalized populations, the NULworks toward economic empowerment and the elevation of the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. NUL has over 20 years of experience operating as a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved housing counseling Intermediary that currently engages a network of more than 30 local affiliate partners in 16 states and the District of Columbia. Comprehensive Housing Counseling makes housing options more accessible and sustainable by leveling the economic playing field for African American and other minority renters, homeowners, and the homeless.

INITIATIVES, IMPACTS, AND RESPONSES

Comprehensive Housing Counseling Program

NUL through its signature Comprehensive Housing Counseling program, has a proven track record of fostering increased housing accessibility and sustainability for its clients by offering pathways for increased economic opportunity for minority and historically marginalized renters, homeowners, and those experiencing homelessness. Leveraging diverse expertise and robust experience, NUL partners with its

2025 Empowerment Goal:

network to align client services with the unique needs of each community served, including but not limited to budget and credit, pre- and post-purchase, foreclosure prevention, rental, homeless, predatory lending, reverse mortgage, and fair housing, education, and counseling. NUL consistently meets program standards and ensures best practices are followed across our network furthering the successful deployment of housing counseling services. Additionally, NUL provides technical assistance, oversight, compliance, and quality control for each subgrantee, resulting in the successful coordination of housing counseling activities and services that address clients’ housing and financial needs.

In 2022, approximately 18,000 participants enrolled in comprehensive housing counseling services, out of which:

› Approx. 10,000 participants engaged in PrePurchase Counseling and Education services.

› Approx. 3,000 participants engaged in Foreclosure Counseling and Education services.

› Approx. 3,000 participants engaged in Rental Counseling and Education services.

› Approx. 7,000 participants engaged in Financial Literacy Coaching and Education services.

Diverse Appraiser Initiative

The coronavirus pandemic has drawn widespread attention to existing inequalities in American society, including the racial wealth gap in real estate. As a result, the National Urban League is prioritizing a series of initiatives designed to reimagine the appraisal process through a lens of equity and justice, while generating heightened awareness and fresh urgency within the appraisal community and broader financial services sectors.

An appraisal plays a crucial role in buying, selling or refinancing a home, determining for the seller, buyer and lender how much a home is worth. The National Urban League believes the deeply ingrained business practices that guide undervaluing homes in majority-Black communities must be assessed and overhauled as part of the industry’s re-evaluation of its organizational culture.

While achieving equity in homeownership and building generational wealth is deeply challenging, the National Urban League is working with Wells Fargo to build a pipeline of diverse appraisers through our Entrepreneurship Centers that empower Black homeowners and communities. The National Urban League (NUL) Entrepreneurship Center Program (ECP) provides free management counseling, mentoring, and training services for entrepreneurs looking to start, grow or scale their business. The implementation of the skills learned will enable minority entrepreneurs to improve operations, increase capacity, obtain financing and contracts, and better serve their customers, with the goal of creating jobs that will lead to sustainable businesses, and ultimately generate wealth for themselves, their families, and communities. The ECP has 13 network Entrepreneurship Centers (ECs) located in Urban League affiliates in Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Houston, TX; Jacksonville, FL; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; New Orleans, LA; Philadelphia, PA; St. Louis, MO; and Washington DC. NUL also supports an additional 15 out-of-network Entrepreneurship Centers/Programs at other UL affiliates including Charlotte, NC.

The State of Black America® Report 2023

Democracy in Peril: Confronting the Threat Within raises the alarm on extremist ideology taking root in the nation’s classrooms, law enforcement and military institutions, and the halls of Congress.

The report explores the inequities across America’s economics, employment, education, health, housing, criminal justice, and civic participation systems through research and the words of our contributors. In this 47th edition, we are raising the alarm around the explosive growth of far right and domestic extremism and the threat it poses to our communities, our families, and our nation. This extremist movement not only threatens the quality of life of Black Americans but the very DNA of what it means to live in a nation that calls itself the land of the free.

The 21 Pillars for Redefining Public Safety and Restoring Community Trust was introduced as a framework for advocacy that redefines public safety and restores community trust—paving a way beyond the status quo. Our forward-thinking plan is designed to protect and preserve life, dignity, and trust while building safer communities.