February 18, 2023
Ready Life Advisors Montel Williams, Dr. Bernice A. King and Ashley D. Bell Co-Host National Town Hall on Homeownership
Fifty-nine years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, the United States continues to suffer from long-term systemic bias that results in a variety of disparities–including significant wealth and homeownership gaps.
Today, Black mortgage applicants are denied at an 84 percent higher rate than white applicants.1 In an era of reckoning where the U.S. is acknowledging systemic discrimination that has negatively impacted communities for centuries, “The State of Homeownership In America: A National Town Hall” will identify the current hurdles to homeownership and explore solutions for increasing homeownership in underrepresented communities. The live webinar will commence Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 2:00 PM EST. Registration is free and open to the public at bit.ly/readytownhall.
The event is co-hosted by national television host Montel Williams, former White House Policy Advisor Ashley D. Bell and Dr. Bernice A. King, the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King.
“As a financial technology company committed to helping all families create generational wealth, we are very proud to present our first national town hall on homeownership,” states Ready Life founder and CEO, Ashley D. Bell. “Homeownership is a cornerstone to wealth-building and the barriers to homeownership must be identified and addressed head on.”
On the last day of Black History Month, Ready Life will gather its distinguished Advisory Council members, along with representatives from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for a live webinar to address areas within the American housing landscape where systemic bias still exists, and discuss practical solutions. Some of the areas of systemic bias include: credit scoring, real estate appraisals, redlining and down payment requirements.
Montel Williams,Ready Life Advisory Council member and co-host of the Town Hall, believes it is important that stakeholders address the real hurdles American’s face and offer real solutions for families who seek to own a home. “I believe that everyone should have access to homeownership, which is a building block in obtaining the American Dream. There is no one size fits all, and those who may not qualify for traditional mortgages should have options available to them.”
With its innovative Ready Pay fintech platform, Ready Life aims to help individuals begin building generational wealth early in life by purchasing their first home at least a decade sooner in life. Ready Life’s program evaluates one’s ability to pay a mortgage based on rental payment history and overall spending habits.
“We live in an era where technology can be used as a tool to help level the playing field and remove historic barriers–as long as we’re willing to think outside the box,” states Dr. Bernice A. King, co-founder of Ready Life and Advisory Council Chair. “As a nation of brilliant innovators, we have a significant opportunity before us to change the trajectory toward a more inclusive economy, if we choose to rise to the occasion.”