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In Memoriam Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. Wilhelmina J. Rolark
PUBLISHER
Denise Rolark Barnes
STAFF
D. Kevin McNeir, Editor Ron Burke, Advertising/ Marketing Director Shevry Lassiter, Photo Editor Lafayette Barnes, IV, Assistant Photo Editor John E. De Freitas, Sports Photo Editor Dorothy Rowley, Online Editor ZebraDesigns.net, Design & Layout Mable Neville, Bookkeeper Dr. Charles Vincent, Social Sightings columnist Tatiana Moten, Social Media Specialist Angie Johnson, Circulation
REPORTERS
Stacy Brown (Senior Writer), Sam P.K. Collins, Timothy Cox, Will Ford (Prince George’s County Writer), Jacqueline Fuller, Hamil Harris, D. Kevin McNeir, Kui Mwai, Lee Ross, Dorothy Rowley, Brenda Siler, Lindiwe Vilakazi, Sarafina Wright, James Wright,
PHOTOGRAPHERS
John E. DeFreitas, Ja’Mon Jackson, Shevry Lassiter, Roy Lewis, Jr., Robert R. Roberts, Anthony Tilghman
What Does Home Mean to You?
A lot has changed for many of us in the past year, and one change that stands out to me is how we think about our homes. Home has always represented a place for family, and that part hasn’t changed. But the experiences of the last year has brought a new significance to our homes. For many, home is the spot where we worked out, conducted our business and sent our kids to school. It has been our gym, our office and our school. As we celebrate Homeownership Month during June, the Wells Fargo team is excited to be able to bring you a variety of resources and ideas to think about as you embark on your own homeownership journey, whatever that looks like for you. 5 Chuck Bishop, head of National Diverse Segments, Some of you are buying for the first time and have intensely felt the Wells Fargo Home Lending need for a backyard when there was nowhere else safe to meet with your extended family and friends. Some of you are ready to step into a bigger home with more amenities or a smaller home with fewer rooms to clean.
I also realize there are those of you for whom homeownership still remains a dream yet to be achieved.
As a lender, we are aware that homeownership may not be available to everyone and that the Black homeownership rate significantly lags behind the homeownership rate of other racial and ethnic groups. We also know that the past year has been a tough one that impacted jobs, income and overall well-being.
At our company, we are working to open doors to homeownership for more individuals and families, including those adversely affected by the pandemic. We have incorporated low-down payment financing options into our suite of products, placed in-market sales employees in communities to provide access and support to potential buyers and built out a new closing cost credit program.
In fact, we recently unveiled our Dream. Plan. Home. Mortgage, which provides a 3 percent down payment on a fixedrate mortgage to eligible customers. In some metro areas, eligible customers may also have access to the closing cost credit, helping remove that cost as a barrier to buying. The mortgage program and the closing cost credit are designed for consumers with income at or below 80 percent of the area median income.
Wells Fargo believes deeply in the value of homeownership and helping you achieve a home that Wells Fargo believes deeply in meets your ever-evolving needs. We want your homeownership the value of homeownership dreams to truly be part of an Amer- and helping you achieve a ican Dream that can be achieved in home that meets your an equitable, sustainable way. ever-evolving needs.
What’s behind the loss of Black homeownership and displacement in D.C.?
Gentrification is notably the number one cause for the displacement of low-income and Black residents in D.C. But how does gentrification happen? And, what are the examples of gentrification causing long-time District residents to be pushed or priced out of their homes?
Why are some neighborhoods targeted to gentrify, and what are the long-term adverse effects of gentrification on building and sustaining wealth for Black D.C. residents?
Residents in Wards 7 and 8 have watched economic and housing growth across the city, and they are bracing themselves for a shift that is storming its way to their doorsteps. They foresee a takeover of what was once an affordable community to live in despite what others have historically viewed as neighborhoods that are geographically, economically, and racially unattractive.
Times have changed though, and neighborhoods in Wards 7 and 8 are quickly becoming the hottest real estate markets in the city.
GENTRIFICATION IN D.C. HAS REACHED ITS LAST FRONTIER.
The Washington Informer, in partnership with the Center for Public Integrity, announces a yearlong journalism study to determine the factors causing Black and low-income residents, including seniors, in Wards 7 and 8 to lose their homes. The project will also explore the sources of information and public or private resources to help residents save their homes.
Our House: Keeping Homes Black-Owned in D.C.’s Ward 7 and 8 is a year-long journalism project that will include a series of articles about gentrification, tax sales and foreclosure published in The Washington Informer, a bi-weekly e-newsletter, community events, data reports, and personal testimonies from residents to determine to what extent property tax sales – also known as the “gentrification tax” – are impacting homeownership among African American families in Wards 7 and 8. The project will also examine the short-and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic moratorium on mortgage foreclosures soon to be lifted in D.C.
“I am extremely excited to engage in this work that will address a critical issue – gentrification – that has played out across the District and how it is displacing residents east of the Anacostia River,” said Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes.
“This project will provide a newsletter offering a one-stop source of information about gentrification and resources available to help residents keep their homes,” Barnes added. “Data research and analyses provided by CPI will deliver added value to residents, community groups, policymakers, elected officials and financial institutions that play critical roles in the preservation and gentrification of Black neighborhoods.”
Interested in learning more about Black homeownership?
In The Washington Informer’s annual Homeownership Issue published Thursday, June 10, in recognition of Home Ownership Month in June, readers will find the project’s first survey soliciting residents’ perspectives on gentrification and its impact on their neighborhoods. The Informer has also launched the Our House landing page, where the survey and other information is posted on the Informer’s website at www.washingtoninformer.com. Readers can also sign-up for the Our House Newsletter to be delivered bi-weekly by email. Do you live in Ward 7 or 8? Yes No
Are you a homeowner? Yes No
If you are a homeowner, how long have you owned your home? Years
If you are a homeowner, what resources made it possible to purchase your home? (savings, homebuyers assistance program, inheritance, tax sale, other)
Do you live in a multigenerational household? Yes No
If you’re not a homeowner, what are some of the barriers or obstacles you have faced that prevented you from buying a home?
Do you have an older relative who owns a home in Ward 7 or 8? Do they have plans for their property in the future? If so, what are they?
What changes have you seen in your community since you’ve lived there?
Have they received inquiries from individuals asking to purchase your home? Yes No
If you found yourself faced with the likelihood of losing your home, do you know where to go to find help?
Are you aware of any neighbors who were on the verge of or lost their home due to unpaid property taxes? Yes No
If so, how did things turn out?
You can also complete this survey online by using this QR Code
