River City Housing shines a light on the names of these people and countless others as we grieve the precious lives lost to police brutality and white supremacy. These victims collectively serve as an urgent national wake-up call for all of us to stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, dismantle systemic racism, demand equal justice, and promote unity.

 

Silence is complicity. We refuse to be silent.

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The Louisville community and people around the world are speaking out against racial inequality, and maybe, just maybe, these protests will force some critical change. Senseless deaths and other injustices have been going on far too LONG. Change must come. It's time for each of us to be a vocal, active part of that change.

 

Housing discrimination is among the most pervasive forms of racial discrimination. 

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Homeownership, with its resulting equity development, is the single largest builder and determinant of wealth and generational wealth. By guaranteeing loans to builders who built homes in the suburbs where deed restrictions explicitly restricted ownership to “Whites Only” the federal government for decades ushered white people into neighborhoods where home values appreciated.  Invisible walls went up.  Black people were on the wrong side of the wall.

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Redlining (lenders' refusal to insure mortgages in or near Black neighborhoods) further kept Black people literally “in their place”. Thus the opportunity to build wealth, as well as the pride and benefit of homeownership, were denied to Black people for generations.

 

River City Housing advances economic justice through homeownership and works to reverse the absence of homeownership in redlined neighborhoods.  River City Housing continues its work to increase homeownership for low to moderate-income families while focusing our outreach efforts on Black families who were refused this opportunity for generations.

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Access to safe, affordable housing is a basic human right.  Dismissal of that right denies the already disenfranchised a chance to accumulate wealth, build a better life, and join equally in the promised pursuit of happiness. 

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River City Housing is dedicated to ensuring that these opportunities for advancement are available to everyone.  On behalf of our homeowners, we challenge those who are in positions of power to use their connections and their positions to effect institutional change to reverse wealth inequalities.   

 

We also have a responsibility closer to home. Beginning with homeownership, River City Housing will do all we can to bridge the racial wealth gap and address other racial inequities. We will continue to appoint a board of directors that reflects Louisville's diverse populations and neighborhoods. Our commitment to diversity helps us develop effective policies that fulfill the goals and dreams of first-time homebuyers and ensure equitable opportunities in our workplace and construction sites.

 

Even after the protests diminish, we encourage organizations, stakeholders, and clients to share ideas and concerns that will assist us to protect homebuyers from discriminatory practices and hold us accountable to the values outlined in this statement.

 

We passionately care about building and strengthening communities that embrace inclusivity, compassion, and fairness. We believe in social equity. Social equality is long overdue for our city, our state, and our nation. It’s time to act.  

 

Sincerely,

River City Housing