About HOGAR - Fact Sheet

• HOGAR (Hispanic Ownership, a Growing American Reality), the Spanish word for home, is a, two-year fellowship program formed by CHCI to empower Latino housing professionals and increase homeownership opportunities for Latinos nationwide.
   
• Homeownership is a primary means by which households in the United States achieve financial security and communities achieve stability. However, while the number of flexible loan products and homeownership financial assistance programs have substantially increased, the homeownership rate for Hispanics (48.9%) continues to lag significantly behind the nation’s overall rate (69.2%), as well as that of non-Hispanic Whites (76.2%). 
   
• Over the past 10 years, the homeownership rate among Hispanics has improved and, in some cases, has grown at a rate three times higher than that of other non-Hispanic groups.  Significant barriers, however, still exist, preventing Hispanic families from achieving their goal of owning a home.  Studies indicate that Latinos have not benefited proportionately from the record low interest rates and strong housing and refinance booms of recent years, threatening the gains made thus far.  Advocates agree that if the Hispanic “homeownership gap” is to be decreased, major initiatives must be created to target the growing and diverse Latino community.
   
• In response to these disparities, HOGAR was created.  CHCI selected 3 senior Housing Fellows to implement tailored housing initiatives in congressional districts with at least a 25% Hispanic population.  Sixty-three congressional districts in the following eleven states meet that threshold: California, Texas, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Florida, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Nevada, and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
   
• The overarching goal of HOGAR is to improve homeownership opportunities for Latinos nationwide.  There are three phases to this initiative.  The following includes a description of the phases and their objectives:

• Phase I – Research Objectives (September 2003 – August 2004):  Identify Latino barriers to homeownership and best practice models.  Grow the number of sponsors to meet our two year fundraising goals.
• Phase II - HOGAR Models (September 2004 – December 2005):  HOGAR stands for Hispanic Ownership, a Growing American Reality.  It is CHCI’s National Housing Initiative campaign name for Phase II pilot models designed to increase Latino homeownership opportunities.  During this phase, our Fellows will develop models in three areas:  1) housing drives and educational workshops to help Latino families on the path to homeownership, 2) the development of pipeline programs to help address the under representation of Latinos in housing fields, and 3) identify policy areas that impact Latino homeownership. 
• Phase III – Making HOGAR a permanent fixture of CHCI (January 2006 and beyond):  The HOGAR models developed during Phase II will help CHCI define its role as to how best it helps Latinos achieve the American dream of homeownership.

• An Advisory Committee, comprised of Members of Congress, industry leaders, and national housing advocates, has been created to advise and assist CHCI and its housing fellows with the formulation and implementation of the HOGAR’s goals and bring resources and expertise to the initiative. 

Related Links

HOGAR Home
About HOGAR
HOGAR Fellows
Focus Group Findings
Advisory Committee
Cong. District Targets
Cong. Endorsements
HOGAR Launch
HOGAR Housing Directory
2006 HOGAR Sponsorship Opportunities

Download Files

1. An Assessment of Hispanic Homeownership: Trends and Opportunities (PDF)

2. HOGAR Best Practices Brief (PDF)

3. Consejos Financieros: Evitando los errores que cometen los latinos (PDF)

4. Fiesta de quinceañera vs. Ser dueño de su casa (PDF)

5. If You Can Plan a Quinceañera... You Can Put Together Your Own Mortgage Package  (PDF)

6. Focus Group Findings: Cross-Site Report  (PDF)