STATEMENT BY NAREB PRESIDENT COURTNEY JOHNSON ROSE
HONORING HUD SECRETARY MARCIA FUDGE UPON HER RETIREMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. – RealEstateRama – The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) is honored to have worked with HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge on a mission to expand affordable housing, increase homeownership for people of color, and reduce homelessness in America. NAREB congratulates Secretary Fudge on her retirement, recognizing that she will continue to embrace these goals as she writes her next chapter in an extraordinary public service career.
As a champion of racial equity, Secretary Fudge has tirelessly advocated policies to eliminate systemic housing discrimination and reduce the racial wealth gap, a cause also championed by NAREB. I personally thank Secretary Fudge on behalf of the NAREB and the millions of Americans her efforts have impacted. During her tenure, she helped more than two million families stay in their homes and avoid foreclosure, removed barriers for people with student loan debt trying to buy a home with an FHA mortgage, and ensured that positive rental history plays a more significant role in determining creditworthiness when trying to obtain a home loan. These efforts embody the Realtist creed and mission of NAREB’s Democracy in Housing and will help NAREB increase Black homeownership. Secretary Fudge has repeatedly committed to making the American dream of homeownership a reality for all citizens.
Further, she played a pivotal role in increasing the HUD budget, allowing more low-income families to access housing vouchers and reduce homelessness. Secretary Fudge has also prioritized revitalizing public housing infrastructure, ensuring residents live in safe and healthy environments. Her leadership has been instrumental in advancing fair housing laws and policies, reinforcing HUD’s commitment to building inclusive communities free from discrimination.
Under her guidance, HUD has also intensified its focus on disaster resilience and recovery efforts. Realizing the threats posed by climate change, especially in communities of color, Secretary Fudge initiated programs to make housing infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters. She provided grants to rehab houses damaged by natural events and implemented more rigid building codes to withstand extreme weather conditions. She prioritized the need to prepare communities for the challenges of climate change, demonstrating her holistic approach to housing and urban development.
Specifically, she established a Task Force on Reducing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing, which identifies and eliminates barriers that hinder affordable housing development across the country. It addresses zoning laws, land use regulations, and other policies that may contribute to the high cost of housing. She also prioritized increasing resources for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program, which supports organizations that work to combat discrimination in housing. Further, Secretary Fudge supported the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule that requires local governments to address segregation and unequal access to opportunity in their housing policies.
NAREB is incredibly proud of our partnership with HUD to prevent appraisal bias. Under Secretary Fudge’s leadership, the partnership has commissioned training opportunities for housing counselors to understand appraisal bias in home property valuation; held roundtable discussions on appraisal bias at regional HUD Office of Housing Counseling (OHC) meetings around the country; NAREB, and other industry stakeholders, assist OHC in developing and distributing educational materials to combat appraisal bias; the National Fair Housing Training Academy partners with NAREB to train its Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) and Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) participants on preventing appraisal bias.
As a Cleveland area member of Congress from November 2008 to March 2021, Secretary Fudge set high standards and committed to ensuring that every American from all walks of life has opportunities to succeed. She continued that path at HUD, where her initiatives are changing America. Our nation is a better place because of her service.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REAL ESTATE BROKERS
NAREB was formed in 1947 to secure equal housing opportunities regardless of race, creed, or color. NAREB has advocated for legislation and supported or instigated legal challenges that ensure fair housing, sustainable homeownership, and access to credit for Black Americans. Simultaneously, NAREB advocates for and promotes access to business opportunities for Black real estate professionals in each real estate discipline. From the past to the present, NAREB remains an association that is proud of its history, dedicated to its chosen struggle, and unrelenting in its pursuit of the REALTIST®’s mission/vision embedded goal, “Democracy in Housing.”
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For print or broadcast interviews with NAREB President Dr. Courtney Johnson Rose, contact Michael Frisby at /202-625-4328 /
