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59 Changing the makeup of the industry is no small feat, he acknowledges, but adds that his company has encountered no shortage of steadfast partners who share its commitment to DEI. "If we succeed, our efforts will have a resounding impact on the housing industry, homebuyers and renters, and the careers of program participants." RETHINKING PUBLIC RELATIONS Fuentes adds that inclusive marketing is vital when it comes to reaching future homeowners in historically underserved neighborhoods. For example, he says, "a lot of us still have the idea that just by translating a flyer into Spanish, that's going to satisfy the need for targeting the Hispanic market. ey might not realize that Latinos, Hispanics are a very young, 28-, 29-year-old demographic, or that these millennials, a high percentage of them, actually speak English. If you want to target and educate and find these consumers, you may have to incorporate Spanglish, or straight English in some markets." He says companies need marketing experts who are "culturally keen." Drumgoole says such segmented marketing can significantly help companies achieve new growth in emerging markets. "Each market/submarket has its own distinct audience and culture and will require a unique voice. at's why diverse teams are so important for generating growth," he said. "ey're not just diverse in ethnicity, but also diverse in their thought and ideas. is helps to create environments that are more elastic." Added Gerber, "A diverse work environment promotes a wider perspective on customer needs and yields greater innovation with expanded product design and market awareness." THE IMPORTANCE OF ALLIES With the new administration came intensified political focus not only on a more racially equal housing system but also one more inclusive of the LBGTQ+ community. e Biden administration, in January, issued an Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation. As a result, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced plans to include the LGBTQ+ community under the Fair Housing Act. e Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also affirmed, in March, that LGBTQ+ discrimination in credit and lending is illegal. ey also announced plans to enforce the Equal Credit Opportunity Act on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. e LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance was founded June 2020—with chapters throughout the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico—and advocates for fair housing. e Alliance's President, John orpe, points out that, even in the 2020 Census, LGBTQ+ people, unless legally married, are not counted, making it difficult to compare general population percentages to the housing industry. However, the Alliance recently issued a report that examined a variety of data points and research into how discrimination impacts LGBTQ+ homeownership levels. ey found that members of the LGBTQ community are less likely to be homeowners. About 49% of LBGTQ+ folks own their home compared to 64% for the overall population. Homeownership drops even further for Latinx and Black Americans who also identify LGBTQ+. Fear of any type of discrimination in the future homebuying process is a concern for 46% renters, and orpe says other issues are at play in this population. "So many in our community feel an added burden in their high school and college years, including a lack of family support, that can lead to reduced academic success, which in turn can impact earning potential and even lead to homelessness," orpe said, adding that discrimination in the workforce and in the home buying process creates barriers. He hopes research from the Alliance will "provide those working in the real estate industry and beyond with a greater understanding of how discrimination is keeping so many in the LGBTQ+ community from reaching their full potential and ultimately becoming homeowners." He says 27 states offer no legal protections for the LBGTQ+ community. Despite the lack of firm local legal protection, nearly 70% of Alliance members surveyed earlier this year believed that the Biden administration's order will have positive effects for LGBTQ+ people, a market that, according to the same study, represents an estimated $1 trillion in buying power. Alliances with other groups that face discrimination are important to orpe and the organization. About 10% of the alliance's 1,500 members are allies, he says. "Our mission for the beginning was to be inclusive of allies," he said. Recalling a cheer from the early days of his activism, he added, "no one is free when others are oppressed." Christina Hughes Babb is a reporter for DS News and MReport. A graduate of Southern Methodist University, she has been a Dallas-area journalist/editor for more than 15 years. During her 10 years at Advocate Media, she published thousands of articles covering local politics, real estate, development, crime, and the arts, among other topics. She has won two national Mayborn School of Journalism Ten Spurs awards for nonfiction and has penned pieces for Texas Monthly, Salon.com, Dallas Observer, and the Dallas Morning News, to name a few. "Borrowers and potential homebuyers in underserved areas simply do not have the same opportunities as other similarly situated borrowers. This disconnect leads to lower homeownership rates for Blacks and Hispanics and impacts the ability to grow long-term generational wealth … a diverse work environment promotes a wider perspective on customer needs and yields greater innovation with expanded product design and market awareness." —Windi Gerber, SVP of Human Resources, Open Mortgage

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