This article was originally published at PROGRESS In Lending Association on December 13, 2022.
TAI CHRISTENSEN
Chief Diversity & Public Relations Officer
Arrive Home
Tai Christensen wants to close the real estate wealth gap that’s locking minority borrowers out of homeownership, and she won’t slow down until she’s made a difference. It’s a systemic problem plaguing our country, Tai says, and anyone working in the lending industry right now should be actively thinking about how to solve it. That is what innovators in the mortgage space should be focusing on right now – making homeownership accessible to everyone.
For Tai, bridging this gap is not just about closing more loans, it’s not about securing business in a down market. It’s about helping people build generational wealth – a key ingredient to social mobility and financial security, the secret sauce to the increasingly elusive American Dream. It’s about using your knowledge and your resources to make a difference. And so, motivated, determined and – frankly – bewildered by housing marketing’s worsening affordability crisis, Tai joined forces this year with former colleagues to launch Arrive Home, a social enterprise dedicated to helping responsible borrowers in underserved communities through alternative credit solutions and down payment assistance programs.
As Arrive Home’s Chief Diversity and Public Relations Officer, Tai is on a mission to spread the word about how down payment assistance and other such solutions can help responsible borrowers who have challenging credit histories or unconventional income streams purchase a home. For Tai, it’s crucial that the lending industry embrace new solutions to help underserved borrowers achieve sustainable homeownership.