Economic Mobility and Black Homeownership Pilot identified barriers to homeownership and provides homebuyers with down payment assistance and counseling.
A pilot program in Richmond, Virginia seeks to help Black residents become homeowners through down payment assistance and counseling. Barry Greene, Jr. explains the program in an article in Next City, noting that it was sponsored by a $200,000 grant from the Amandla Fund for Economic and Racial Justice.
The program, administered by the Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation, “will assist 10 Black first-time home buyers who fall within 80% to 150% of the area median income (AMI) range, providing down payment assistance grants and robust pre- and post-purchase counseling.”
The Amandla Fund hopes the program will prove to be a scalable option for helping to close the racial homeownership gap. “According to data from Freddie Mac, the Richmond region has nearly 30,000 mortgage-ready Black households.”
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