Just as Pride month draws to a close, the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance has announced a new partnership with the Asian Real Estate Association of America. With a sharp rise in hate crimes and anti-Asian and anti-LGBTQ+ incidences across the country, the two groups hope to pool resources and reach in solidarity with each community.
According to a statement from the groups, efforts will center on combatting discrimination and hate against the LGBTQ+ and Asian American Pacific Islander communities. Specifically, the two groups will work to raise awareness about issues related to discrimination, increasing homeownership rates and education initiatives, according to a joint press release from the two groups.
UCLA’s Williams Institute and the U.S. Census Bureau report that homeownership rates for LGBTQ+ and AAPI Americans are 49.8 percent and 59.5 percent, respectively, while the Census shares that the overall homeownership rate is 65.6 percent and 74.5 percent for White Americans.
“It is well documented that homeownership rates for the LGBTQ+ community and the AAPI community are significantly lower than those for the general American population,” Ryan Weyandt, Alliance CEO said in a statement. “This is largely due to housing discrimination, which often goes unreported and therefore unaddressed, along with a lack of understanding and education.”
“This is a proud moment for AREAA as we can now provide even more support for LGBTQ+ AAPI consumers and our members who may face additional cultural challenges while living their authentic lives,” said Amy Kong, President of AREAA, in a statement. “Additionally, diversity, equality and inclusion efforts are gaining momentum, but there is still much work to be done in our nation. There is an African proverb that says, ‘if you want to go far, go together.’ For AREAA, working with the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance is the beginning of an important journey that will in fact takes us far—far from today’s climate of hate. ”