WACO, Texas — The Waco NAACP chapter partnered with multiple organizations to host a housing forum for Waco residents on Monday night.
The City of Waco, Prosper Waco, Grassroots Waco and NeighborWorks Waco all participated in the forum at the Dewey Recreation Center.
"I am so grateful for this city and the things that and the organizations that are within this city that who has put themselves in a position to help people," said Lovie Langston, legal redress chairman for the Waco NAACP.
Housing experts discussed and answered questions about housing costs, renovations and "tangled titles," which are titles that have not been updated after a property is passed down from generation to generation.
"[In] my culture, we live in our grandparent's home, but the deed hasn't been transferred. We don't know how to do that and we haven't done it," said new homeowner Maya Sample, in attendance on Monday.
Sample said she wished she had been able to attend before purchasing a home, but came to learn how to prepare her sons for homeownership in the future.
"I'm a homeowner and I have two sons that's I'm going to want to leave the house too," she said. "I need to know how to do that."
A recent housing study from the city of Waco found that the city is short roughly 5,000 housing units and that a growing number of residents are living in housing outside their means.
Each organization made a point to recognize that there are resources to help. The city of Waco, for example, offers down payment assistance programs, residential tax abatement and home rehabilitation loans.
Roughly 50 people attended the forum. Organizers and participants hope those in attendance will pass their tips and assistance programs onto friends and family.
