Housing experts joined in a national conversation on Twitter this month to discuss lessons learned from the 2008 housing crisis and how those lessons can be applied during the economic downturn caused by COVID-19. The conversation began earlier this year when chief executive officers from NeighborWorks America, Enterprise Community Partners and LISC, three leading community development intermediaries, were on a panel together at a virtual conference. They knew then that partnerships would be important, and they've kept their conversation going. On Oct. 15, their conversation extended to social media in the hopes of engaging consumers. Several dozen participants joined in.
"I am pleased that NeighborWorks America, Enterprise, and LISC have collaborated on such a timely issue," said NeighborWorks President and CEO Marietta Rodriguez. "When national organizations come together to elevate the discussion, we can reach a larger audience, raise the visibility so that people can take action, share critical lessons and collectively advance positive outcomes for the families and communities we serve."
Callahan Seltzer, acting director of housing at LISC, had a similar take. "The housing challenges we face today require the coordinated actions of many departments of government and many private partnerships," she said. "COVID-19 compounds this crisis further every day, but these challenges take a different shape in every community. Now more than ever, peer learning and knowledge sharing is helping partners in real time learn from each other and find the right path toward community recovery."
"Strong partnerships across sectors are critical to advancing racial equity and breaking the cycle of poverty," Enterprise tweeted during the event.
The goal of the Twitter chat was to exchange ideas, spread awareness and inform and educate consumers on what they can do to protect their homes -- whether they own or rent. Participants also discussed strategies and resources and warned the public about scams, which could have a long-reaching effect on finances.
- Partnerships are key.
- Engage residents of communities in solutions.
- We need to be thinking long-term.
Meanwhile, participants talked about what could be and what should be. "Proactively take part in neighborhood rezoning where longstanding communities of color stand to be displaced," Fifth Avenue Committee advised in a tweet. "Ensure that local community members have a seat at the table in all decisions being made."Participants responded to specific questions, like, "How can we work together to prevent the wealth gap from growing for families of color?"
"Advocating for equal opportunities," tweeted financial coach Nathalie Kallab Racimo. "Equal access to education, eliminating the wage gap, and breaking the cycle of poverty."
Tweeted Rebuilding Together, "We must help keep families in their homes safely. More than three quarters of neighbors who received repairs from Rebuilding Together plan to pass their properties on to family or friends."Participants also shared resources and toolkits.
And they shared things to watch out for. LIIF, for example, tweeted that "in the last recession, a lot of private equity buyers swept in and picked up affordable housing properties." The end result, of course, is less affordable housing.
In answer to a question about the connection between stable and affordable housing, and health and education, Enterprise responded: "Homelessness and housing instability detract from student success. Other factors, like unaffordability, crowding and poor maintenance can also adversely affect student performance from pre-K thru college."
"We can't wait until a crisis happens to provide help," NeighborWorks tweeted. "Reaching out early can help minimize issues that will only grow."For more insights and to follow the conversation, go to Twitter and view #HousingCrisisChat or view the tweets on Wakelet.
