The RISE team has chosen to design a house targeted towards low or middle income families struggling in the Bay Area housing crisis. Richmond, California specifically, a community close to the home of one of our partner colleges, UCB, needs a sustainable home solution. The Richmond community struggles in various ways. For example, the overall cost of living is 20% greater than the national average, housing prices have risen over 10% in the past year, and air and water quality scores are significantly low in comparison to other places in the nation.

Richmond community members can get excited as the RISE team continues to develop a home geared specifically towards their needs, but they don’t have to wait until it’s built to get help. Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services (RNHS) will be hosting a free event to help residents gain more resources and tools towards home owning.

According to a 2014 New York Times article titled, “Homeownership and Wealth Creation,” “homeownership long has been central to Americans’ ability to amass wealth; even with the substantial decline in wealth after the housing bust, the net worth of homeowners over time has significantly outpaced that of renters, who tend as a group to accumulate little if any wealth.”

The event will be held on May 20, 2017 from 9 AM to 3 PM at John F. Kennedy High School, 4300 Cutting Blvd., Richmond, CA.

As a team, RISE encourages members of this community to attend the event and get valuable information on resources and tools for homeownership.

More information including further details about the event and how to get registered can be found at http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3337825.