VHDA's "Wealth Starts at Home" College Tour visits the CIAA Spring Sports Championship
Homeownership education initiative will engage students at Virginia State University
Petersburg, VA - In an effort to increase homeownership opportunities, the Virginia Housing Development Authority, the state's housing finance agency, has with the assistance of Titanium Productions, Inc, developed a partnership with Virginia's historically black colleges and universities to educate young African Americans about homeownership and its role in building wealth.
VHDA will participate in this years CIAA spring tournament, distributing information, promoting VHDA programs and speaking to students. A large turn-out is expected as there will be a total of seven championships played during the week of April 17-21 2007 in Petersburg, Virginia on the campus of Virginia State University. Monica Jefferson, Community Housing Officer for VHDA will present as keynote speaker on Thursday, April 19, 2007 to 320 student-athletes at the Men and Women's Track Social.
"Not only is homeownership the principal ingredient of the American dream, for most African Americans homeownership is their first step towards accumulating wealth," said Monica Jefferson, community housing officer for VHDA. "Our ‘Wealth Starts at Home' college tour is the center of a new outreach and education program we hope will encourage college students to look beyond just earning money and help them create a personal action plan for building lifetime wealth.
Research proves owning a home is one of the best ways to increase personal wealth. That's because homeownership delivers tangible benefits like tax deductions, appreciation and the financial options that come with equity built through monthly mortgage payments. In addition to homeownership, other keys to wealth accumulation are financial literacy, understanding the basics of money management, investing and business entrepreneurship.
The ‘Wealth Starts at Home' tour will begin its second year in September 2007 and run through November 2007. The tour will visit Hampton University, Norfolk State University, St. Paul's College, Virginia State University, Old Dominion University and Virginia Union University.
The tour's free campus lecture series, educational seminars and targeted outreach events will give students the opportunity to learn about:
- the importance of financial responsibility
- ways to use credit wisely
- how to create a personal strategy to build wealth through homeownership
- a variety of mortgage loan programs that include no down payment and flexible products
For more information about the "Wealth Starts at Home" College Tour, visit VHDA's website at www.vhda.com/reach, and click on Outreach & Liaison. Or, contact Monica Jefferson at (804) 343-5736.