LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Local agencies are trying to fix the gaps when it comes to housing barriers for the LBGTQ+ community.
AJ Huth, the Director of Public Affairs at the Center is teaming up with the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance to bring the first-ever homebuyer seminar to the Center.
“My wife and I bought a home a couple years ago and I wish we would of had something like this,” Huth remarked. “We’re facing such a housing crisis right now and I think people feel homeownership is just out of reach for them. By having some education with top professionals in the field, we’re hoping we can add a little bit of hope in that situation.”
Zak Shellhammer is the Las Vegas chapter president for the Alliance and said the goal is to help the LGBTQ+ community navigate the home buying process while addressing fears and concerns. He’ll be spearheading the class along with a mortgage lender and other local realtors on site.
“There’s a lot of fear of discrimination, whether that’s actualized or just the emotional response right now with everything going on. They’re afraid to put in an application for a rental and with same-sex couples on the rental application or qualifying for a mortgage,” Shellhammer explained. “So we’re debunking those myths as far as what they can do and how they qualify and then the people that can represent them as we’re made up of folks who are trained to represent this community and we understand their fears and their concerns, so we work through that with them.”