The Community Advantage Program

Closing the Racial Housing and Wealth Gap.

Lifting today’s people of color and the generations that follow.

The team at Advantage Home Plus stands with others for equity and justice in denouncing racism, intolerance, and exclusion. However, we believe that taking a stand is not enough. Through our Community Advantage Program employers can provide inclusive homeownership and wealth opportunities for ALL employees.

The promise of the American Dream is that each person has an equal opportunity to succeed regardless of where they start. Tragically, limited economic mobility and continued inequality make that promise out of reach for many Black and Hispanic Americans. This is unacceptable and avoidable. We need to ensure that the American Dream is available for all.

Homeownership has long been the primary saving mechanism for low and middle-income families and can be a stepping stone to a more prosperous future. African American and Hispanic families are not on the same wealth-building path as White families. Because they are less likely to own homes and fund their retirement accounts, they miss out on those traditionally powerful wealth-building tools. Wealth provides much more to families than just money in the bank. It serves as an insurance policy during hard times, pays the tuition needed to get a better job, brings stability, confidence, pride, and increased community involvement. It’s a springboard into the modern middle class.

In the graph below, you can see that in 1960 there was a 27-point gap between Black and White homeownership rates and a 19 percent difference between Hispanics and Whites. Black homeownership was at 38 percent, Hispanics were at 45.2 percent, and Whites were at 65 percent. According to the U.S. Census, the gap has increased, with a 30 percent difference between White and Black homeownership rates and a 24 percent gap between White and Hispanic rates. The difference in current homeownership rates is astonishing, especially considering that the Fair Housing Act was passed more than 50 years ago in 1968.

Our goal is to help eliminate the unfair and dangerous racial wealth and housing gap through education, coaching, resources, specialized down payment assistance, and grant loan programs. As part of our Community Advantage Program, we can provide your employees with the assistance needed so they can enter the homeownership market feeling prepared and confident. We provide a community of comfort with a confidential, safe, and judgment-free environment so your employees can use us as a resource to help guide them through their home buying journey.

Changing the course of this entrenched problem requires focused and intentional educational initiatives and loan programs aimed at expanding homeownership opportunities specifically for the underserved communities.

Employees are the heart of every successful company. Employers are in a unique position and can directly improve the wealth and homeownership gap of their Black and Hispanic employees. When companies help their employees reach a major life accomplishment such as buying a home, they also create a more energized, engaged, and loyal workforce.

Ready to elevate your ability to improve lives? The Community Advantage Program does just that.