Credit unions across the country are searching for ways to offer their underserved members pathways to homeownership. But when it comes to affordable housing, it’s clear that bolder action is needed to meaningfully move the needle.
The affordable housing crisis is particularly acute in Seattle, Washington, where home prices increased by over 80% between 2010 and 2020. This month we’re excited to welcome Uche Okezie, Real Estate Development Director at HomeSight, a Seattle-based nonprofit, and Tina Narron, Chief Lending Officer at Verity Credit Union, also based in Seattle, to talk about how they are cross-pollinating, collaborating, and breaking convention to reimagine solutions to this thorny and seemingly intractable social issue.
We also address this month’s BIG question:
How can credit unions “dream more boldly” when it comes to community development and what kinds of innovative partnerships can they forge to drive this work forward?