FREE
AUSTIN WEEKLY news ■
Autism awareness, resources flow to West Side,
Vol. 31 No. 11
■
March 8, 2017
■
austinweeklynews.com
@AustinWeeklyChi
■
PAGE 4
Also serving Garfield Park
Local hospital rewarded, page 3
Report: The bane of black homeowners? Bad loans State Rep. Ford, real estate pros convene discussion on improving housing opportunities for blacks By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter
A recent report, commissioned by National Association of Real Estate Brokers, shows that African-Americans still face significant barriers to homeownership. In particular, the report found that blacks have a harder time qualifying for conventional mortgages — a reality that forces them to obtain high-interest rate loans, many of which are exploitative. Even those blacks who qualify for conventional mortgages tend to pay more interest than their white counterparts, the report found. On Feb. 28, state Representative La Shawn K. Ford (8th) and the Dearborn Realtist Board, a group of African-American real estate professionals who have been fighting against barriers to black home ownership since 1941, convened a forum at Malcolm X College to discuss the report’s findings. Realtors, housing counselors, bankers and activists were invited to give their input and work toward developing solutions. According to the report — entitled, “2016 State of Housing in Black America” — black homeownership rates were at 41.2 percent in 2014, compared with 68.5 percent among non-Hispanic whites. The report attributed the disparity to the fact that blacks often have a harder time obtaining conventional mortgages, so they have to apply for loans with higher fees and stringent penalties. See HOMEOWNERSHIP on page 6
WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff Photographer
Is orange the new green?
Siblings Derek and Adreyenne Hearne are the state’s first, and so far only, African-American Orangetheory Fitness franchisees. The fitness company’s growth has soared since its founding in 2010. One piece of advice Adreyenne would give younger entrepreneurs? “Always have an end-game in mind. Plan. And execute.” Read their story on page 8 inside.
Local chef eyes MLK apartments for eatery Skylar Dees wants to launch an ambitious new restaurant in North Lawndale By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter
Skylar Dees, a 26-year-old North Lawndale native and self-taught chef, has a dream. He’s trying to raise enough money to open an eatery and he has his eye on a
space — right inside of the MLK Legacy Apartments, 1550 S. Hamlin Ave. Dees said that, through his business, he hopes to bring a fundamental change to the community where he spent most of his life. And if he has his way, his business would be the first among many to
move into the area, reversing the decades of abandonment and disinvestment that plague North Lawndale. Dees, who attended William Penn Elementary School and North Lawndale Col-
Austin Chamber of Commerce on the move... 773.854.5848 • www.austinchicagochamber.com
See SKLAR DEES on page 8