Como estan? Have you all registered for the 2021 NAHREP National Convention and Housing Policy Summit yet? Don’t forget that this year the conference is free to all members and only $50 for non-members. We’ve been working hard to make sure we bring you top-notch content, give you resources to help you grow as a professional, and cement yourself as a leader in your field and community. So excited to see you all virtually next month!
Feliz año Nuevo! I know this was a rough holiday season for many of us. For me, resolutions, reflections, and all of the usual rituals I do around the New Year were just plain weird. I’m in Southern California, what is now considered the world’s epicenter of COVID outbreaks, so my New Year’s reflection and resolution was just one word: gratitude.
As we slowly say goodbye to 2020, it’s important to spend some time reflecting. A lot has happened and I don’t think many of us have had any opportunity to process everything we’ve been through. Personally, I’ve been go go go all year. I, like many of you, lost someone very special to me to COVID-19 this year. To be honest, I haven’t had a chance to process this loss, nor the seismic changes we’ve gone through this year. Over the break, I hope to spend some time just reflecting, making my peace with things and choosing what it is that I want to take with me into 2021. I hope all of you will join me in that. This year has definitely been one of growth and that is the greatest silver lining.
Noerena here reporting from California, where we are officially in another shutdown. While I am a firm believer that the only way to fix our economy is getting to the other side of this awful virus, I gotta say, I’m worried about our Latino small businesses. We’ve boasted about this before: Latinos have been the driving force behind entrepreneurial growth in the U.S. Over the past decade, the number of Latino business owners grew by 34%, compared to only 1% growth for all business owners. However, the current lack of cash on hand for Latino-owned businesses can result in the loss of over two million jobs if Latino employer businesses have to permanently close before the end of the year.
The Republican National Convention is happening this week and, as promised, we’re going to cover what the Trump Administration has meant for housing and homeownership. While it is not the same to compare a plan, something that we have no clue will actually get enacted, to actual actions taken by a particular administration, it is still important to understand the different philosophies and priorities of the candidates for President we have before us.
Let’s get right to the point, the national conventions have officially started. In an effort to put our mission before politics, let’s have some real talk about what our choices for president might mean for housing and homeownership. In the midst of the Democratic National Convention, we’re releasing a summary of the Biden Housing Plan. This is the first of a two-part series. The second will be released during the Republican National Convention where we’ll summarize President Trump’s housing agenda so far.
For years, at NAHREP we’ve been encouraging our members to invest in real estate and rental properties as a means to build wealth. Lately, a lot of policy conversations have revolved around rental assistance, but with little regard for landlords, who happen to also struggling small business during this pandemic.
Como andamos? I am excited to welcome all of the new members to the National Advocacy Committee (NAC) and thank you to everyone who responded to our first ever national advocacy campaign last week that put our grassroots operation to work. We tried to make the process as easy as possible and we appreciate every one of you who sent the email to your Senators. The more a Member of Congress hears from their constituents on a particular issue, the more they’re likely to listen.
In the midst of having a case of cabin fever this week, I decided to take a drive through the agricultural fields of Chino, California. The fields were lined with farm workers hard at work picking fruits and vegetables for our consumption, individuals who are undoubtedly essential through this pandemic. It’s easy to take the food we eat for granted. It’s also easy to forget that the people who do the back-breaking work of producing our food supply are often undocumented.
Greetings from California where we are on Day 18 of statewide sheltering-in-place. I hope many of you are investing in some Zoom stock because as a society we are now working, learning AND socializing on Zoom. I’m seeing birthdays being celebrated on Zoom, book clubs, happy hours, even retirement parties!