March 21, 2018
Page 13
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O PINION
50 Years after the Fair Housing Act
We still have a
long ways to go
J eFFrey W. h iCks
We have come
a long way toward
building black home-
ownership since the
Fair Housing Act was
signed into federal
law 50 years ago. In
commemorating that milestone,
we recognize and emphasize that
with fewer than half of black
Americans owning their homes
we still have a long way to go to
reach economic parity through
homeownership.
The National Association of
Real Estate Brokers, an equal
by
opportunity and civil rights ad-
vocacy organization for black
American real estate profession-
als, consumers, and communi-
ties, has advocated for
black American home-
ownership since it was
founded on the principle
of “Democracy in Hous-
ing” in 1947.
We were at the fore-
front and in the trenches
of this movement prior to April
11, 1968, when this act signaled
a new level of commitment to
self-determination and empow-
erment for black people. Our
organization was there, active in
ensuring that the law passed.
Today we continue working
to ensure that fair and equitable
treatment for black Americans
under the law remains intact as
we work to increase homeown-
ership in black communities, na-
tionwide.
The importance of the Fair
Housing Act cannot be over-em-
phasized as vital to the journey
to full fair housing for all Amer-
icans.
Recognizing this history helps
to fortify us for the next stage of
this ongoing movement. The ob-
stacles to achieving fair housing
may have changed over the past
50 years, but NAREB remains
vigilant and ready to challenge
any institutional and systemic
barriers to increasing the rates of
affordable and sustainable home-
ownership for Black Americans.
We recognize the challenges.
Today, black homeownership is
at a very low 42 percent. At its
peak in 2004, Black homeown-
ership stood 49 percent. We’re
working to return to -- and then
surpass -- that level.
Democracy in housing rep-
resents something far different
today -- the systemic obstacles of
increasingly economically-segre-
gated communities.
We fully understand that de jure
segregation and institutional rac-
ism remain pervasive problems
throughout the United States. We
will continue to use all available
tools in 2018 and in the future to
increase black homeownership as
a pillar of the American Dream.
We will keep advocating for sup-
portive policies and educate our
community about the inter-gener-
ational wealth-building power of
homeownership.
The National Association of
Real Estate Brokers will host a
series of events and activities
throughout 2018 to educate and
inspire the public about the nev-
er-ending struggle for equality
and true democracy in housing.
Our continuing movement to
increase black homeownership
signals our unshakable convic-
tion that this pillar of the Ameri-
can Dream is still achievable, de-
sirable and affordable for African
Americans.
Jeffrey W. Hicks is the 30th
president of the National Associ-
ation of Real Estate Brokers.
From Military Hero to Heroin Addiction
It’s up to us to
lend a hand
s amyueLL m ongkhounsavath
On a daily commute in Port-
land, it is tough to not make any
eye contact with someone experi-
encing homelessness and panhan-
dling at a stop light or at least spot
someone who is hauling a moun-
tain of all their belongings on their
back in a makeshift rucksack.
Now imagine that person ex-
periencing homelessness being a
family member who voluntarily
served in our nation’s military,
protecting its values and culture
from impeding foreign enemies.
That family member who desired
to destroy the enemy before they
reached our homeland; and why
we can safely lay our heads down
at night free from the thought of
harm.
It is sad to say, but several of
the nomads that we see liv-
ing in tent cities (that con-
sistently get raided) on the
sides of our highways are
those who have protected
and served our country.
Dave, a veteran experi-
encing homelessness liv-
ing in Portland who served
eight years in the Marines
with a total of four combat
tours, willingly shared his
story of a battle with home-
lessness and overcoming
substance-use over a lightly
competitive game of ping-
pong.
The story begins in Iraq
by
where Dave was on his final con-
voy coming back in from doing
route clearance where suddenly
his truck was struck with a rock-
et propelled grenade. Two weeks
later, he woke up in a hospital in
Germany with metal plates in his
legs, a reconstructed face and the
single memory of a loud bang.
After re-learning how to move his
body through the military’s reha-
bilitation program, Dave became
accustomed to taking high-fre-
quency pain medication to ease
the pain of his recovering body.
During this process, Dave fore-
saw that he was going to be medi-
cally discharged from the military
after completing physical therapy.
In the process, he prepared his fi-
nances ahead of time to ensure he
could provide for his wife and two
kids for at least six months to en-
sure that they were covered while
searching for employment.
Fast forwarding, the day that
Dave was officially medically
discharged, his doctor prescribed
painkillers were no longer pre-
scribed. Throughout the physical
rehabilitation period, Dave’s body
and mind became accustomed
to the chemically induced high,
which led to substance addiction.
This addiction continued after his
transition into civilian life.
As a result, the mixture of the
high cost of pain killers, an im-
proper wean off period within the
military’s rehabilitation system
and Dave’s addiction to pain med-
ication, Dave resorted to the use
of heroin and alcohol. Heroin and
alcohol reliance has consumed
Dave’s life to the point that he
has no finances for housing and
no contact with his two children
and former spouse. The low cost
and high availability of drugs on
the streets makes it an easy sub-
stance of choice for many Veter-
ans alike. It isn’t fair that Dave
and our nation’s heroes who have
sacrificed their lives for the sake
of our country’s livelihood must
go through an unfortunate transi-
tion in their lives life like this.
A local, Portland, non-prof-
it that is combating against the
homelessness of our nation’s he-
roes is Transition Projects. Their
mission is to serve people’s ba-
sic needs as they transition from
homelessness to housing. A small
department within the organiza-
tion called Supportive Services
for Veteran Families, works spe-
cifically with veterans like Dave
by providing them with services
such as rapid re-housing, home-
less prevention and contact to
outside resources such as sub-
stance use counseling, financial
guidance and alternative benefits
specific to the veteran population.
The team is comprised of vet-
erans and members who have
family and friends who have
served. They are empathetic to
the needs of their clients and go
the extra mile to get the service
member help. The four counties
that they serve are Multnomah,
Clackamas, Washington and
Clark.
If you live in one of these coun-
ties and know of a veteran who
is need of help, please contact
the Transition Project’s Home-
less intake hotline at 855-425-
5544. The veteran will complete a
pre-screening and will be assessed
based on severity of need.
It is important that we as a
tightly-knit community serve our
local heroes like Dave who have
voluntarily served us with their
lives. It is up to us as Oregonians
to send out an arm and lift our op-
pressed, so that they can stand on
their own two feet again.
Samyuell
Mongkhounsavath
is the Veterans Case Manager at
Transition Projects.