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FROM PAGE 1 make sure everything was available,” said Brian Arnold, who was executive director of the group at the time ve years ago. “After that, we did the application online and sent it in without them being able to see the person.”

Once the application got approved, the team at Aurora Warms the Night would let the real estate agents see the client was Black. Arnold said this process worked almost prove, in writing, that race was sometimes a factor in creating our communities. every time and became the organization’s own way of making a dent in the discrimination that people of color may face, but nd di cult to prove.

Accessibility to housing isn’t only an issue of race. It’s an issue of income, as well. Many Coloradans simply can’t a ord to apply for a home, and some of them are rede ning their idea of the American dream as a result. Reporter Christy Steadman digs into this issue. When affordability, accessibility and fairness play a role, families are shifting away from the old dream in which people started a family and bought a home.

When rising home prices and in ation makes that next to impossible for many Coloradans, the American dream may shift from the idea that owning a home is the true measure of success. Still, across generations, many hold out hopes for homeownership.

Statistics, data and experts may have great information on how the market works, but it’s the people living through the crisis who matter the most.

To read all the parts of our Long Way Home series, visit https://coloradocommunitymedia. com/longwayhome/index.html.

Because many of the individuals served by the group were facing homelessness and unemployment, Arnold acknowledged that these factors could have played a role in their initial application rejections. However, when they conducted the blind application process with the same nancial information, the applications were approved. For Arnold, this con rmed race was a barrier.

“ e racism is just so out there,” he said. “It was easy to realize it.”

Arnold’s group did not le any complaints because their main priority was getting their clients housed, and they found a way to do that. Colorado Community Media reached out to Aurora Warms the Night to see if this is still a strategy but did not get a response.

But once a Black client successfully got on a lease, Arnold said

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* even more challenges ensued if they were looking to someday own a home.

“How do we get them from renting into homeownership?” he said. “ ose barriers seem to be some of the biggest.”

For decades, homeownership rates for Black people have lagged far behind those for White people. Census data released last month shows just how wide that gap is. More than seven in 10 White Coloradans and a little more than half of Latino residents own their homes, according to the 2021 ve-year American Community Survey. Only 42% of Black Coloradans own their homes.

Although Latino homebuyers in Colorado face many of the same barriers as Black homebuyers, their rates of homeownership have grown in recent years. For Black Coloradans, on the other hand, the numbers have remained stubbornly low. ese trends hold across the metro area, with Adams, Je erson, Arapahoe and Douglas counties all showing higher rates of homeownership in White communities than in those of color. e reasons for this gap are myriad, but over time, Black Coloradans have generally had less opportunity to build home equity and wealth to pass from one generation to the next. ese barriers mean many metro Denver communities lack racial and ethnic diversity. rough training and other measures, many are now trying to reverse this situation and improve access to housing for all.

A denied opportunity to build generational wealth

In 2021, eo E.J. Wilson and his wife started looking to buy a home in Aurora. Wilson is a Black college lecturer and non ction television host.

Like many Coloradans regardless of color, Wilson and his wife did not have enough money for a down payment in today’s expensive housing market, even though they both make a good living. In Arapahoe County, the median sale price of a singlefamily home increased by $180,000 over the past ve years, according to the Colorado Association of Realtors. In other metro Denver areas, the numbers have skyrocketed even more drastically.

While many White Americans may have bene ted from the e orts of their ancestors, particularly through inheritances, Wilson says many Black people, including him, were denied that possibility. In his eyes, that’s part of why homeownership has been so elusive.

“In what some of my elders have called the ‘illusion of inclusion,’ income is used as a metric to say that things are getting better for Black people,” Wilson said.

But, he pointed out, income is di erent from wealth. For generations, “White America was building wealth, assets and the skill set and personnel to manage that wealth,” he said.

Wilson’s older family members, on the other hand, were not o ered the same opportunities, he said.

Wilson’s grandfather was in the Army Air Forces during World War

II, a Tuskegee airman, one of a pioneering group of Black military aviators. When he returned to New York City after the war, he did not receive federally backed home loans like his White counterparts did.

“ ey basically shoveled these White vets from World War II into programs that gave them college money and programs that gave them homes in the suburbs,” Wilson said. “Imagine if my grandpa would have got the property that he would have got had he been White in New York City. How much would that be worth today?”

Many Black veterans faced issues using the programs o ered by the GI Bill. ey often could not access banks for home loans, were excluded from certain neighborhoods and faced segregationist policies. Instead of a home in the suburbs, and despite his service to his country, Wilson’s grandfather wound up in low-income housing. ere, he raised Wilson’s father, who was not able to attend college.

“ e only physical thing that I have from (my grandfather) besides his DNA is a collection of hats … that shouldn’t have been the case,” Wilson said. “I should have more from him than his name, his genes and some hats.” ese numbers speak to the notion of generational wealth. Generational wealth is anything of nancial value that is passed from one generation to another — including money, property, investments, valuable heirlooms or businesses.

In that era, federal authorities also made color-coded maps that reected the practice of restricting access to home loans in certain areas, partly based on race. is practice is known as “redlining.” People of color were also excluded from obtaining housing through “racially restrictive covenants,” or text written into property records that was used to prevent people of certain races from purchasing certain homes.

Some exclusionary policies, which have been documented in the Denver area, left a toll that’s evident in communities of color today.

Family wealth is a good measure of that. In 2019, the median White family in the country had about $184,000 in wealth compared to just $38,000 and $23,000 for the median Hispanic and Black families, respectively. at’s according to data from the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances.

“ ink about the wealth that was created during (the ‘40s and ‘50s) that White families have been able to

With the new year upon us, small business owners will want to look at what will help them reassess their business visions and set new goals, all to increase revenue and bring in new customers. Business resolutions will vary, just as they do in personal life, but there are top goals to consider that make good business sense. Here are eight measurements that will help refresh your business operations. Are the measurements you choose achievable, quantifiable, and have deadlines with assessments in place?

1. Update your business plan- Establish goals for you as a business owner and brand to help you achieve a clear sense of direction. Revisit those goals monthly, noting what worked and didn’t for you and your sta .

2. Refresh your marketing plan- The marketing plan, a component of the business plan, needs an update every year to see what marketing strategies were successful.

3. Advance your digital presence- Most businesses already have a website, but keep yours updated with your latest business news.

4. Promote all year long- Don’t wait to promote and market your business; make it a regular push all year. Come up with a monthly promotion, using daily calendars to prompt ideas.

5. Personalize customer service- Be sure to personalize the entire buyer journey by o ering products and services based on your customers’ purchasing behaviors.

6. Foster a positive workplace- Establish a positive work culture by being more open to and encouraging feedback from your sta .

7. Give back- Employees often like to be part of a workplace culture that gives back to and shows gratitude to the broader community. Be sure to appreciate the community for supporting your business.

8. Be trustworthy and transparentEngage in authentic interactions with your customers and clients to build trust and operate your business with transparency. Invite customers to interact with you online or through social media.

The Conifer Area Chamber of Commerce was founded on December 11, 1975, by local business people and has been bringing the community together ever since. Our goal is to create opportunities for our members to succeed. We actively promote our members through monthly membership meetings, after-hours mixers, educational workshops, quarterly nonprofit meetings, and community events, including Annual Chamber Awards, Elevation Celebration, and our everpopular Conifer Christmas Parade. Our mission is to encourage, develop, promote, and protect the general business interests of the area in accordance with the principles of the free enterprise system.

OUR VISION IS TO CREATE A THRIVING BUSINESS COMMUNITY THROUGH

MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS, IGNITING GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES, AND ADVOCATING FOR A HEALTHY ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT.

Membership with the Conifer Chamber connects you to our community, its resources, and many opportunities to grow your business. Chamber members can access exclusive programs and venues that help build their business and personal relationships, increase visibility, and generate leads.

You can contact the Conifer Area Chamber of Commerce and ask how we can help you grow your business and move you into 2023 with success and growth. We moved to a new location on January 1, 2023, stop and make a visit. Call the Executive Director, Tamm DeAun Masoner, at 303-838-5711 or stop by our new o ce at 12424 Big Timber Drive, Unit 5, Conifer, CO 80433.

Hope to see you soon!

Tamm Masoner, Executive Director