The following activities help to position REALTORS® as leaders on fair housing issues and help your association reach its fair housing goals. Use these ideas for inspiration as you leverage a Fair Housing grant. This is not a complete list of activities that qualify for grant support. If you have an idea but are not sure if it is eligible for a grant, email FairHousingGrants@nar.realtor.
Level 1
Book Club / Discussion Club: Select a book, documentary, or article on a fair housing issue and hold a virtual or in-person book/discussion club meeting. Invite the book author, a REALTOR®, community leader, or staff from a fair housing agency to lead the conversation.
Guest Speaker: Host a local or national speaker to discuss a particular aspect of fair housing.
Hold a Class: Provide education opportunities for members to learn about fair housing and their responsibilities under the law.
Level 2
Co-branded one-pager/brochure: Collaborate with a fair housing agency/nonprofit to create co-branded educational piece for members and/or consumers that explains rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act.
Fair Housing Symposium: Bring together REALTORS®, consumers, and community stakeholders to discuss the importance of fair housing and local efforts to ensure equal housing opportunities.
Fair Housing Month Posters: Distribute NAR Fair Housing Month posters to area principal and managing brokers along with a personal invite to the association’s fair housing events, education and activities.
Speaker Series: Organize a series of three or more speakers around a theme, such as working with clients with disabilities, the history of fair housing law, or recognizing implicit bias. Invite partner organizations and/or community members to attend.
Develop Curriculum: Work with a course developer and fair housing experts to design a fair housing education course for members.
Work in Partnership: Collaborate with a local organization with a fair housing mission on their initiatives to ensure equal housing opportunities in the community.
Undesign the Redline: Bring together community partners to create a customized interactive exhibit that tells the history of structural racism and inequality in the United States and in your local community. Work with Designing the We to develop the exhibit and create comprehensive programming for your whole community.
Legislative Initiatives: Offset the costs of drafting state legislative or local ordinance provisions that furthers fair housing.
That’s Who We R Fair Housing Assets: Create public-facing marketing that amplifies That’s Who We R fair housing assets.
No Cost Ideas
These ideas can be executed for free, using your association’s existing resources. Consider doing one or more in addition to, or to enhance another activity.
Fairhaven Challenge: State associations – issue a challenge to local associations to complete NAR’s new, interactive Fair Housing Training tool, Fairhaven. Honor local associations with the top 5 highest percentage of Fairhaven completion at your state convention. Local associations – issue a challenge to small, medium and large brokerages to complete the training. Honor the brokerages in each size category with the top 5 highest percentage of Fairhaven completion at an annual awards ceremony.
Issue a Proclamation: Work with your town, county or city to issue a proclamation recognizing the importance of fair housing and equal housing opportunities.
Fair Housing Social Media Campaign: Make weekly posts about fair housing law, local fair housing history, stories about fair housing champions in your community, etc.
Share Stories: Use the association’s existing newsletter, social media, podcasts or other communication channels to feature local fair housing champions and REALTORS® who are leaders in fair housing advocacy.
Interested in reading Success Stories from other associations? Visit the Success Story database and use the search bar to search “Fair Housing.”