Ensuring Fair Housing for All with NAR's Bryan Greene

Growing awareness among real estate professionals has resulted in a clearer understanding that fair housing in America is still an issue. Bryan Greene is the Director of Fair Housing Policy at NAR, and he's on the show today to talk to Monica about the Fair Housing situation in America. He talks about the history behind the situation in our country, as well as what tools NAR is using to help their agents start making a change as we move forward to a more fair and equitable industry.

Bryan worked in government for 29 years before making the transition to NAR. He shares his background, and how his desire to make a difference is what led him to work within the real estate industry. Housing is one of the biggest issues, but also one of the avenues where the industry can have the biggest impact.

Along with some recommended reading, Bryan shares some of the history around segregation in housing. It started out as a private practice but was adopted as an official government policy. These policies created patterns — such as generational wealth — that continue to show up today, even though the laws have changed over time.

Bryan was hired in a new position as the Director of Fair Housing Policy at NAR. After reading and viewing some footage of agents, the disparity was apparent. He talks about his role to respond, accept responsibility, and explain to the public how they would address these issues. The two things that stuck out were the need for accountability and a culture change.

They are triangulating the issue from all sides: mind, heart, and body. Their acronym is ACT!: accountability, culture change, and training. They are doing more immersive training where agents can practice and react to different simulated situations. One of the best ways to learn in any business is from your peers — one of the initiatives they have is to highlight those agents that are just as successful practicing fair and equitable real estate.

Moving from education into action is one of the most important ways things can start to change. In addition to these videos and profiling different agents and companies, they are also looking at what effects this issue of segregation has on the economy. There is data that shows if some of the larger metro cities were less segregated, their GDP would be higher. School districts are also another avenue where they are working on ways to make things fairer. There's more to consider than just a district's test scores.

The many tragic events in 2020 have highlighted the thread of injustice and housing segregation. But 2020 has also been an opportunity for many people to learn, and begin to change. REALTORS® have a responsibility to make things fairer, but other parties like lenders, insurance companies, and other parties can also contribute to the disparities we see.

The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, and religion, which are often viewed as social constructs, rather than what it is. It shouldn't have anything to do with housing, but historically (and even still) it has. As more awareness has come up around these issues, there are action steps you can start taking today. There are many communities around the country that recognize what has happened in the past and are taking steps to change things now. The real estate industry can engage with some of these same politicians and strategies, especially at the local level, to make things right.

Tweetables

"I believe that right now NAR is the most effective place to make a difference on civil rights issues." — Bryan

"It immediately thrust me into the role of responding, making sure that we accept responsibility for what we see, and explain to the public and the Hill how we were addressing these issues." — Bryan

"If we could make real progress on some of these issues regarding segregation, we could start to turn the corner so that the next time we have something tragic, maybe we won't fare as poorly." — Bryan

Bryan Greene is the Director of Fair Housing Policy at the National Association of REALTORS®. Bryan is responsible for representing NAR on all fair-housing-related federal regulatory and legislative matters to ensure the interests of consumers and the real estate industry interests are protected. He also manages NAR's new 45-member Fair Housing Policy Committee which allows NAR to focus more attention on the public policy issues surrounding fair housing and equal opportunity while better supporting its strategic priority of enhancing housing equality.

Before joining NAR, Bryan served for ten years as the highest-ranking career official in HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO), where he oversaw the policy direction and operational management of the 600-person office enforcing the nation's housing anti-discrimination laws. Under Bryan's leadership as FHEO General Deputy Assistant Secretary, HUD pursued large-scale, high-profile cases that addressed systemic discrimination and provided widespread relief. Bryan also managed HUD's Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) and HUD's Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP), which together provided over $70 million to state and local government agencies and nonprofit organizations fighting discrimination in local communities.  Bryan held several senior positions at HUD over three decades at the agency, including a stint as the Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Affairs in HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), where he worked to reduce regulatory barriers to affordable housing. Bryan was the 2007 recipient of the Presidential Rank Award, the highest federal honor bestowed upon federal senior executives for outstanding service.

Bryan earned his degree in Government from Harvard University.

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, by Richard Rothstein

American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass, by Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton

Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism, by James Loewen

The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap, by Mehrsa Baradaran