Meet Keniece Gray, one of the newest Fair Housing Center Board Members. We’re so excited to welcome Keniece on board (pun intended). Check out our Q&A to learn why she got involved with the Fair Housing Center!
How long have you been a board member for the Fair Housing Center?
A: I am new to the Board. My first meeting will be this month!
Q: How did you get connected with the Fair Housing Center, and what makes you want to stay involved with this work?
A: Last year, I attended a board development training workshop hosting by Business Volunteers Unlimited (BVU). I learned about their board matching program and submitted an application shortly after. I indicated my areas of interest as economic development/financial literacy, education, and housing. I view these three channels of access to opportunity critical to the development of our community and its residents. We live in a world where there are clear correlations between the three of these aforementioned areas, which is why it is pivotal that we advocate for fair housing given the impact on one’s quality of life.
My parents taught me the value of home ownership early on. With age, I began to notice unfavorable changes in my neighborhood related to the housing market and our community residents. Furthermore, last summer, I became a home owner and experienced issues finding a lender that worked to meet my needs and provide me with resources to make a well informed decision. The negative experience I had throughout the entire purchasing process left me feeling discouraged and slightly overwhelmed. I want to help others, especially young home owners, avoid this feeling.
Recently, I began to do my research and found disheartening statistics about home ownership rates and learned more about redlining through the Stokes CLI fellowship and exhibit at Mount Pleasant CDC. I am determined to help minority home owners protect themselves on their journey to home ownership and economic development.
Q: What do you do for a living?
A: During the week, I work as a Performance Auditor in the Mayor’s Office of Quality Control and Performance Management. On the weekends, I help students find scholarships, host professional development workshops, and speak around the city.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: I love enjoying my family, participating in small groups at church, traveling, trying new foods, learning new vocabulary words, sharing tips to live on a budget, and most recently becoming a master of DIY projects. Currently, I spend significant time strengthening my capacity to serve the Cleveland community and prepare for law school application season.
Q: What do you want people to know about the Fair Housing Center?
A: People should know that the Fair Housing Center is a great resource for people of all ages given the wealth of knowledge and action to protect residents the Center provides that is relevant to our entire community. I am a firm believer that proper preparation prevents poor performance. Therefore, I believe that people should learn about fair housing rights before they become homeowners or renters, so they can be prepared to make informed decisions and identify discriminatory treatment while supporting progressive strides to promote integrated communities. Education is key and knowledge is power. People can attain both of these things through a visit to the Fair Housing Center.
Stay tuned for more spotlights by following the hashtag #FacesOfFairHousing on Instagram and be sure to check back for new content on our blog.