Featured Event
Closer to Home: Building a Community-Driven Homeownership Expo That Works
Wed, August 12 | 12 PM –1 PM | Zoom
What does it take to bring homeownership resources directly into the community, and ensure they’re accessible to people who have historically been left out?
Join Evelin Martinez, WHRC Program and Partnerships Coordinator; Veronica Hand, Equity & Inclusion Program Manager for the City of Lacey; and Jenn Chernut, Executive Officer of the Thurston County REALTORS® Association—known as the “3 Amigas”—as they share how their cross-sector partnership developed and delivered a multilingual, low-cost homeownership expo that is already making a measurable impact.
During this session, you’ll learn how they:
- Built trust across sectors
- Engaged linguistic minority communities
- Leveraged public and private partnerships
- Created a replicable model that other communities can adapt
Whether you’re planning your first community event or looking to strengthen existing outreach, you’ll leave with practical strategies, lessons learned, and tools you can put into practice.
Event Speakers
Evelin Martinez | WHRC Program and Partnerships Coordinator
Jenn Chernut | Executive Officer, Thurston County REALTORS® Association
Veronica Hand | Equity & Inclusion Program Manager for the City of Lacey
More Conversations Ahead
Inside Washington’s Starter Home Plan: What Practitioners and Advocates Need to Know
Wednesday, September, 23 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Washington’s Starter Home Plan has generated significant interest, and just as many questions. Join WHRC Executive Director Elizabeth Perez for a candid conversation with Marty Kooistra, Interim Project Director, and Kris Hermanns, Project Lead for the Washington Starter Home Plan. Following a brief overview of the initiative, they will discuss the vision behind the plan, what makes it different from previous housing strategies, how it could expand homeownership opportunities across the state, and what to know as implementation moves forward. Bring your questions for this interactive discussion about one of Washington’s most anticipated approaches to increasing the supply of starter homes.