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Home From Work Program |
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The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR)
is partnering with the Eastern Connecticut Association of REALTORS® on
a campaign for employers and REALTORS® to increase
homeownership opportunities for workforce families
throughout eastern The campaign focuses on assisting employers in
developing an employer-assisted housing (EAH) benefit to help their employees
purchase a home. The campaign strategy promotes homeownership opportunities
for workforce families by providing access to housing information,
comprehensive counseling, and financial incentives. Under the Home from Work campaign, employers can
select from three EAH benefits that may help their employees achieve the
dream of homeownership: #1 – Home Buying Workshops: Employers can provide access to
free home-buying workshops (or brown-bag lunches) provided by REALTORS®
and lenders. This component can help employees learn how to find and afford
suitable housing. #2 – One-on-One Housing
Counseling:
Employers can sponsor in-depth housing counseling and education benefits in
partnership with a participating nonprofit counseling agency. This component
offers a more personalized and comprehensive housing program to help
employees overcome barriers to homeownership. OIC of New London County offers
a First Time Home Buyer and Counseling
Program. #3 – Financial Benefit: Employers can provide financial benefits such as
forgivable loans, grants or matched savings to help their employees purchase
a home. This component helps employers address employee recruitment,
retention, and recognition issues. Employers
can chose to offer all or any combination of these three benefits to their
employees. NAR will provide
technical assistance, at no cost, to employers that want to develop a
customized EAH plan that helps them achieve their business goals. Campaign
benefits for targeted audiences Through the Home from Work campaign, REALTORS®
will have an opportunity to participate in outreach and education efforts with
local employers, develop relationships with lenders that offer low-cost
financing options, reach out to underserved markets, and create strong links
in the community. Providing
an EAH benefit can help employers reduce turnover, leading to lower training
and hiring costs. In addition, EAH can increase loyalty and morale, support
bottom-line business goals, and strengthen links with the local community.
Participating lenders will have an opportunity to expand homeownership
opportunities and offer low-cost mortgage options to more potential home
buyers. Local
governments can benefit by gaining greater
neighborhood stability, community involvement, and economic development
opportunities. Affordable, decent
housing attracts employees and supports growth. Employers
interested in learning more the program should contact one of the following
ECAR REALTORS® who has been trained to explain and implement
the Home From Work program.
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