Marietta Rodriguez presented this speech at the 2024 National Interagency Community Reinvestment on March 7 as part of a session entitled “A New Landscape for Community Impact.” 

Imagine a neighborhood. ANY neighborhood. A neighborhood that you live in, a neighborhood that you grew up in or a neighborhood you've visited. 

The path to affordable homeownership is longer than it used to be. Interest rates are higher. Coming up with a down payment is harder. And there's less affordable housing stock available, especially for low- and moderate-income residents looking for a safe place to live, according to NeighborWorks America's National Homeownership Programs & Lending staff.