By Oona Mackesey-Green
Northside News

Hazel and James Tookes were able to purchase a home despite experiencing housing discrimination. However, across the United States systemic racism has led to a large racial gap in homeownership rates. A report from the National Association of Realtors released this February, “A Snapshot of Race & Home Buying in America”,  showed that while the homeownership rate for non-Hispanic White Americans from 2016 to 2019 “has been consistently above 71 percent”, the homeownership rate for Black Americans during that same period “has been 30 percentage points different — above 41 percent from 2016 on.” The report also showed that Wisconsin has the nation’s third lowest rate of Black homeownership — a rate that has only worsened in the last ten years.

This August, the Urban League of Greater Madison (ULGM) announced a $5 million initiative to increase homeownership among  Black Madisonians. A Madison365 article about the program quoted Dr. Ruben Anthony, ULGM President and CEO, during an Aug. 6 press conference: “The Urban League is in the process of purchasing between 15 and 17 homes in economically challenged census tracts in the city. We have $5 million to purchase these homes. Thus far, we’ve purchased 12 homes; we have five or so more to go.” Read more online at madison365.com and northsidenews.org. 

For details about the initiative, including information about participating in the program, contact Vicki Wright at 729-1221 or wright@ulgm.org. ULGM is accepting donations, including in-kind donations, to support the homeownership program.

The Urban League has also run a Single Family Home Ownership Program for nearly three decades. That program is expected to wrap up in the spring of 2021.