I learned about Black Legacy Homeowners while out walking our dog, Cricket. One of our Central District (CD) neighbors has a yard sign with the logo on it, so I looked it up to learn more.
According to their website FAQ,
The Black Legacy Homeowners Network is a community-based organization dedicated to supporting and empowering Black homeowners in our community. Our mission is to provide resources, education, and advocacy to help Black homeowners achieve and sustain homeownership.
There is a long history of myriad forces that have conspired to make it difficult for Black people to both acquire homes and retain them, which has led to a huge loss of generational wealth over many, many years. There's also a need for advocacy to help level the playing field going forward.
The Black Legacy Homeowners network (BLH) was founded by Chukundi Salisbury, Sr. and is "open to anyone who identifies as a Black homeowner or aspiring homeowner." BLH provides financial counseling, information on property tax relief, home repair assistance, and other resources to help navigate the challenges of homeownership. Among many other types of assistance, there are some valuable partnerships, such as this one with Byrd Barr Place that offers grants and loans for such things as covering back taxes, ADU/DADU construction, and home repairs. And a new partnership with the Central District Community Preservation and Development Authority to create a Black Homeownership Hub. During the legislative season, BLH also offers guidance for lobbying to help protect the interests of BIPOC homeowners.
This cause is near and dear to my heart. As someone 'in the business' of homeownership, it is equally important to me to help people 'find' home as it is to help them keep it. We bought our home in a multiple offer situation directly from a Black family that had owned it for more than 40 years. It was an estate sale, and the surviving family members had made a proactive choice to sell. But for generations, many longtime BIPOC homeowners have been preyed upon by unscrupulous appraisers, lenders, and developers, or displaced by gentrification. In 2024 the Seattle Times cited approximately 800 Black homeowners remaining in the CD in 2018, compared to 2,600 in the 1970s. There's a tragic loss of legacy, diversity, and culture in addition to the loss of generational wealth, and ultimately we all suffer for it.
Please consider supporting the Black Legacy Homeownership network, as I have.
