THE LULAC National Housing Commission

The National LULAC Housing Commission, a subsidiary of National LULAC, was formed on October, 2004 to expand housing opportunities for the Latino community. Based in Dallas, Texas, the LNHC believes that home ownership is the key to the long-term economic progress and wealth accumulation of the Latino community, and, that safe and stable neighborhoods are essential to individual achievement and community vitality.

Affiliate

The LNHC is affiliated with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the largest and oldest civil rights organization in the United States. Since its inception in 1929, LULAC has grown into a powerful national advocate for the Latino community with 115,000 members and over 700 local councils. With its affiliated organizations, the LULAC family includes 17 educational centers, 28 housing projects, 48 employment training centers and hundreds of grassroots, volunteer-based programs. LULAC initiatives assist hundreds of thousands of Latinos each year.

LULAC understands the importance of homeownership in the development of the Hispanic community. Studies show that children raised in family-owned homes perform better in school, live in neighborhoods with lower crime rates, and generally enjoy a better quality of life. Homeownership is also the best method of accumulating wealth and economic empowerment.

The Challenge

The LNHC's responsibility is enormous. While Hispanic homeownership is at 49%, lagging below the national average of 68.9%, the housing industry has not effectively responded to the needs of the Hispanic home owner. Indeed, most of the housing stock that is available follows traditional designs with little regard to the needs of the Hispanic consumer. Little is known or documented about the specific designs that the Hispanic requires. Were this known and available to the homebuilding industry, homeownership among Hispanics would increase. The LNHC will undertake original research to address this most important question.

The LNHC believes that more attention and resources must be placed on the building of quality affordable homes to create a viable and stable community. To accomplish this, the LNHC is directly involved as partners with developers and builders to insure that the housing stock that is being built meets the needs of the Hispanic consumer.