Category Archives: Affordable Housing

Cheyenne Board of REALTORS® Uses REALTOR® Party Mobile Alerts & Consumer Advocacy Outreach to Encourage Voting in Special Election

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A penny saved is a penny earned, and in Wyoming's Laramie County, a penny tax is how most capital improvements in its various communities are funded.  Prior to a recent special election in which nine separate propositions to be supported by an additional 1% sales tax were put to a vote, the Cheyenne Board of REALTORS® launched a quick campaign to educate voters and get them to the polls.  Using the REALTOR® Party's Mobile Alerts and Consumer Advocacy Outreach programs, they raised awareness in their voting community: seven propositions passed, all of which will enhance Laramie County's safety and quality of life.

Lisa Tabke, Association Executive of the 350-member Cheyenne Board, first learned about the Consumer Advocacy Outreach program at the AE Institute, not long before the election.  When one of her members began campaigning hard for one of the propositions, which involved the construction of an overpass over the Union Pacific Railroad to connect the business and residential districts of his community, Tabke realized her board could be promoting voter awareness of all the propositions on the ballot, through the Consumer Advocacy Outreach program.

"We didn't take a stance on any of the propositions," she explains.  As voter turn out in Laramie County is typically lower for special elections, their goal was simply to get the word out and explain each of the items on the ballot.  For this, they turned to the REALTOR® Party.  "The staff at the National Association of REALTORS® did it all for us!" says Tabke, "It's a wonderful resource.  We gave them our information, and they put together a text alert to our members, and two email messages to consumers in the Homeownership Matters database.  It was all really well done, and couldn't have been easier at our end."

The seven propositions that passed include the railroad overpass; construction of new fire stations, a new courthouse, and an all-purpose event facility; the expansion of the county jail; and a variety of public safety and infrastructure upgrades.  The total project cost approved by the voters amounts to nearly $90 million, and the county will be collecting those funds in the new Sales & Use tax come October, one penny at a time.

Tabke reports that her members are very pleased with the results, noting that her board has an active Public Policy Committee monitoring these matters. She adds that the REALTORS® are fortunate in having a strong relationship with both the County Commission and the Cheyenne City Council, both of which reach out to them about real estate issues, and that this most recent advocacy effort will only strengthen those bonds.  Although this election was not about real estate, per se, says Tabke, "Anything that can improve our communities and draw visitors to Laramie County is a good thing for REALTORS®, their clients, and their neighbors!"

To learn more about how the Cheyenne Board of REALTORS® used the REALTOR® Party Consumer Advocacy Outreach programs to support a tax campaign that will enhance the quality and safety of its communities, contact Association Executive Lisa Tabke at 307-634-0363.

Medina County Ohio REALTORS® Improve, Invest in Community with REALTOR® Party Grants

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With nearly 800 members keeping their ears to the ground, the Medina County Board of REALTORS® (MCBOR) never has to wonder what the needs of the community might be. In 2016, it met three such needs with funding assistance from the REALTOR® Party’s Housing Opportunity Grants and a Placemaking Grant. Ranging from housing for disabled veterans, to vegetable gardens for low-income citizens, to improving a bike path for the public, these projects demonstrate the deep level of investment these MCBOR REALTOR® professionals have in their community. 

Sherry Stell, MCBOR's Association Executive, explains that her organization has strong Housing Opportunity and Legislative Committees, but that its community service issues emerge organically, without any systematic approach. "If the need is there, members will call it to our attention, and we'll try to find out if it is possible to obtain a grant within the REALTOR® Party program," said Stell. For example, a MCBOR committee member who serves as a trustee of one of Medina County's townships recognized an opportunity for the REALTORS® to contribute to public fitness when a former golf course in his township was being converted to a public park and required funding to transform golf cart paths to mountain bike paths.  The Placemaking Grant program does not fund repair work on existing paths, but this fall, MCBOR succeeded in securing a $1,300 grant for a park map and information display case branded with the Medina County Board of REALTOR®S name and REALTOR® logo, along with a "Saddle Buddy" mountain bike repair and cleaning station.

Another significant community service project for MCBOR came about when one of its members handled the sale of a property to an organization that planned to convert the home to housing for disabled veterans requiring round-the-clock care. "That's how we found out about Newbridge Veterans Place," says Stell. "Our membership is more than happy to support our veterans.  Newbridge Veterans Place became the beneficiary of our Annual Charity Bowl-a-Thon, which attracted more than 140 participants and raised more than $3,000." Along with a $5,000 NAR Housing Opportunity Grant and three REALTOR® Care Days, MCBOR volunteers donated their time and skill to help the organization get the property up and running. "So much was needed in this seven-bedroom home to get it ready to house low income/homeless and disabled veterans," notes Stell. "Our members helped with painting, hanging blinds and setting up the kitchen, in addition to purchasing and moving furniture into the home." 

Yet another project arose because of MCBOR's longstanding support of Medina Creative Housing, an organization that promotes the development and management of permanent affordable housing for people with disabilities. In the past, the REALTORS® have received a REALTOR® Party Housing Opportunity Grant to support the programmatic goals of the charity's Life Skills Lodge as a comprehensive occupational therapy environment. "This year," reports Stell, "they wanted help installing raised garden beds, to help residents to grow their own produce and sell the excess at the farmers’ market for income. Our community is so fortunate to have this amazing organization, and this project, in particular, helps the broader population by providing fresh locally grown vegetables. It's a real win-win." On a hot day this summer, a team of MCBOR members got together and met at the site to build the garden beds, with materials paid for by a Placemaking Grant. As always, Stell put the word out among her affiliate members, who not only pitched in to help, but provided coffee, donuts and pizza. "Our members are very supportive of each other in these efforts," she adds, "whether it's with hard labor or coffee service.  Knowing that the REALTOR® Party is behind them with all its resources, makes all of us feel like we really can make a difference when these needs arise."    

To learn more about how the REALTORS® of Medina County, Ohio are making an impact on their community with the help of the REALTOR® Party, contact Sherry Stell, Association Executive of the Medina County Board of REALTORS®, at 330-722-1000.