We consider ourselves blessed to call this land home. From its delicate arches to its snow-capped mountain peaks, Utah truly is the Land of Zion. As Realtors, our mandate calls us to promote the creation of adequate housing and the building of functioning cities as both are critical to healthy, sustainable communities. That said, we realize our profession hasn’t always adamantly borne this lofty standard. Said plainly, the opportunities for homeownership have not been equally divided among those looking for seats at the table (to say nothing of the fact the land upon which these tables sit have been egregiously stolen from the Indigenous American– the Ute, the Dine', the Paiute, the Goshute, and Shoshone here in Utah). Housing discriminatory practices such as Redlining, the systematic denial of mortgage loans to Black Americans, and the more subtle Steering, when agents influence a buyer's choice of communities based upon race, color, religion, gender, disability, familial status or national origin, are illegal now; and, although we have made significant progress in the last 50 years, these injustices still happen.
Here at cityhome, our mantra has always been that of being a gritty and unyielding catalyst for change and positivity,
and we are determined to see this city become the best version of itself. One way of accomplishing this is through helping those organizations who are making the most impactful changes in our town and in our state. There is no shortage of noble nonprofits to support, we know, but we have selected a handful of charities whose visions resonate with ours, and we’d like to share them with you. Many of our clients have, at the closing table, chosen to make a voluntary donation to one of these worthy foundations; and whether you are buying or selling or just plain loving the community, we encourage you to do the same.
For land rights for Native Peoples, we recommend Utah Diné Bikéyah. This group promises to protect the land and heal the people through supporting indigenous communities and protecting their culturally significant ancestral lands. To donate, go to Utah Diné Bikéyah.
For victims of housing discrimination, consider the National Fair Housing Alliance which works to ensure equitable housing opportunities for all people and communities. To donate, go to National Fair Housing. For providing assistance to the unsheltered, we recommend Salt Lake Mutual Aid which provides food, clothing and medical help for the unsheltered. To donate, go to SLC Mutual Aid.
For promoting sustainability in architecture, we support Preservation Utah, a non-profit who advocates for preservation-oriented policies and provides sustainable solutions for property owners. To donate, go to Preservation Utah.
We believe those who are in positions to teach from life experiences on the above topics are invaluable. To that end, we have set up a nonprofit to help facilitate the education of our community regarding issues surrounding our industry, i.e. red-lining, land-back initiatives, historic preservation, housing, and the overall care of those in our communities. If you would like to contribute to the teachers that are educating and empowering our community, consider donating to the People’s Collaborative Foundation. Contact us at [email protected] or call 801.718.5555 to donate. And thank you for being with us on this path. As Ram Dass taught us, at the end of the day, "we're all just walking each other home."
