IMMIGRANT

ENCOURAGING IMMIGRANT HOME OWNERSHIPconditions and the particular characteristics of the specific immigrant groups residing in particular cities.” 7 Forexample, research on Asian home ownership indicates that while Chinese immigrants stated that owning a homewas their first priority, Korean immigrants preferred owning a business to owning a home. 8Developing Ethnic ClustersStrategies to help build sufficient numbers of immigrants and refugees from the same country of origin can becrucial to creating a “beachhead” that attracts other future immigrants, refugees, secondary migrants, and othersof the same ethnicity or country of origin to a city or region. Encouraging and assisting newcomers in becominghomeowners can be a critical component to encourage sufficient clustering, as well as to helping immigrants makethe important long-term investment and commitment involved inhomeownership. 9Local leaders can pair traditional homeownership incentives, homeownershiptraining programs, and other programs that assist newhomeowners with local immigrant, refugee, or ethnic service providersto assist new immigrants and refugees. Such partnerships might helpnavigate language and cultural competency barriers. In some instanceswhere the local housing demands, needs, and opportunities ofimmigrant and refugee populations are similar to those for whichsuch homeownership assistance programs are designed, thensignificant ethnic clustering and new homeownership will likely follow.Local leaders can pair traditionalhomeownership incentives, homeownershiptraining programs, andother programs that assist newhomeowners with local immigrant,refugee, or ethnic service providers toassist new immigrants and refugees.Too often, however, the financial needs and cultural norms withinimmigrant and refugee communities might differ from those forwhom traditional homeownership programs are designed. Fortunately, there are a number of homeownershipprograms that have been specifically designed to serve the unique financial needs, housing demands, and culturalnorms of diverse immigrant populations.Culturally Competent HomeownershipPrograms and ResourcesThe Boston Tenant Coalition, the New York Immigration Coalition, and Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE)are good examples of local organizations that tailor homeownership programs and resources to serve immigrantpopulations. Each offers rights workshops, housing services, local planning, access to or planning for affordablehousing, or broker access to multilingual realtors for immigrants interested in relocating to their neighborhoodsor who are looking to become homeowners. Asian Americans for Equality has facilitated nearly $300 million inmortgage financing for approximately 2,000 homebuyers in the New York City area. 10 AAFE’s CommunityDevelopment Fund is the first home ownership center serving the Asian American community in New YorkCity and has provided some 8,000 people counseling, education, and outreach services. It offers comprehensivecounseling and educational programs for first-time buyers. AAFE also purchases and renovates single-familyhomes, expanding affordable home ownership options for low and middle class residents.7 Brian K. Ray, Demetrios Papademetriou, and Maia Jachimowicz, “Immigrants and Home Ownership in Urban America:An Examination of Nativity, Socio-Economic Status, and Place,” migrationpolicy.org. Migration Policy Institute, April 2004,www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/ray_homeownership.pdf.8 Barbara Listokin and David Listokin, “Asian Americans for Equality: A Case Study of Strategies for Expanding ImmigrantHomeownership,” Housing Policy Debate 12, no. 1 (2001): 52.9 George Berkheimer, “Maryland is Welcoming Immigrant Entrepreneurs Home,” bizmonthly.com, Business Monthly,February 1, 2013, http://www.bizmonthly.com/maryland-is-welcoming-immigrant-entrepreneurs-home/.10 See Asian Americans for Equality, http://www.aafe.org/programs/home-ownership-cdf.WELCOMING AMERICA | GUIDE TO IMMIGRANT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | CHAPTER 1277