Fair Housing Month for Everyone. Everywhere.

Dear SPAAR members:rnrnApril is Fair Housing Month and there is a lot in store this year. This year’s theme is: u003cstrongu003eFair Housing is for everyone. Everywhere. u003c/strongu003ernrnI hope you’ll join me in taking part in some of the activities throughout April to commemorate Fair Housing Month, and take advantage of the resources, events and classes available to you.rnrnRealtors® are advocates for the dream of homeownership. Realtors® commit to serving consumers openly and equally. Realtors® support and promote the objectives of the Fair Housing Act as part of NAR’s Code of Ethics. With ongoing conversation about inequities in real estate, recognizing Realtors®’ commitment to Fair Housing continues to be of utmost importance.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnu003ch3 style=u0022margin-left: 0in;u0022u003eFAIR HOUSING PLEDGEu003c/h3u003ernTake the pledge! Show your support for Fair Housing by taking the Realtor® Fair Housing pledge. A pledge station will be displayed at SPAAR’s Roselawn office location. Brokers, teams and individual members who take the pledge can sign a pledge card, which will be used to create a giant “R” on the wall of SPAAR’s lobby. Virtually signing the pledge is also an option. For members who stop in, be sure to grab a fortune cookie with a “Fair Housing” message inside. Or, u003ca href=u0022https://spaar.com/fair-housing-pledge/u0022u003eu003cstrongu003eTake the pledge virtually here.u003c/strongu003eu003c/au003ernrnu0026nbsp;rnu003ch3u003eCOLOING CONTESTu003c/h3u003ernThe second annual coloring contest with the focus on “EVERYONE is welcome in my neighborhood!” is up and running and ads have appeared in a series of community and ethnic newspapers. A digital version of the coloring contest is available at u003ca href=u0022https://spaar.com/2022-fair-housing-coloring-contest/u0022u003espaar.comu003c/au003e. Prizes will be awarded to winning entries in four age categories and all coloring contest entries will be displayed at SPAAR throughout Fair Housing Month in April. The coloring contest helps Realtors® communicate that Fair Housing is an important in our communities.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnu003ch3u003eFAIR HOUSING EDUCATIONu003c/h3u003ernRegister for a continuing education class in April including the Required Module: The History of Diversity in Homeownership. Visit Calendar – SPAAR to see more classes and register.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnu003ch3u003eVIDEO: What to Expect from a Realtor®: Fair Housing – Created for Realtors® by Realtors®u003c/h3u003ernCreated in 2021, this u003ca href=u0022https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H2UaPpyRXcu0022u003eWhat to Expect from a Realtor®: Fair Housing videou003c/au003e is a great example of Realtors®’ commitment to supporting Fair Housing. Feel free to share with your own audiences of friends, neighbors and clients. The video content was created by a subcommittee including members of SPAAR’s Communications, Professionalism and DEI Committees. u003ca href=u0022https://spaar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/What-to-Expect-from-a-Realtor%C2%AE-Brochure_Color.pdfu0022u003ePrint a copy of the What to Expect from a Realtor®: Fair Housing hereu003c/au003e.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnu003ch3u003eRESOURCESu003c/h3u003ernSPAAR offers a number of resources for Realtors® including materials for working with clients who speak different languages, as highlighted in today’s SPAAR video. Other resources, including the SPAAR videos, blog posts and toolkits are great ways to educate yourself and others about proactive opportunities for all to promote homeownership and advocate for Fair Housing.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnu003ch3u003eRACIAL DISPARITIES IN HOMEOWNERSHIP RATESu003c/h3u003ernu003ca href=u0022https://www.nar.realtor/blogs/economists-outlook/racial-disparities-in-homeownership-ratesu0022u003eClick here to read what Realtors® are doing about disparities in homeownershipu003c/au003e. The National Association of REALTORS®’ report from March 2022 shows Minnesota has some of the highest levels of homeownership disparities in the nation.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnu003ch3u003eBOOK DISCUSSION SERIESu003c/h3u003ernSPAAR’s Professionalism Committee and the Housing Affordability Task Force, a subset of SPAAR’s Government Affairs Committee, is leading a discussion on u003cstrongu003eu003cemu003eThe Affordable Cityu003c/emu003eu003c/strongu003e by Shane Phillips. u003ca href=u0022https://spaar.com/spaar-book-club-read-the-affordable-city/u0022u003eRegister here to join in the virtual book clubu003c/au003e and receive a free book (while supplies last). The final book club session will include a presentation by the author.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnu003ch3u003eTHERE’S MORE!u003c/h3u003ernSPAAR’s newsletters, website and social media will be your best places to find out everything happening during Fair Housing Month in April. And remember: u003cstrongu003eFair Housing is for everyone. Everywhere.u003c/strongu003ernrnu003cimg class=u0022alignnone size-full wp-image-3304u0022 src=u0022http://spaar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Mark-Mason-signature.webpu0022 alt=u0022u0022 width=u0022149u0022 height=u002255u0022 /u003ernrnMark Masonrnrn2022 President, Saint Paul Area Association of REALTORS®