With home rental prices on the rise, a new program is working to make it easier for Black families to purchase a new home in San Diego County. The program is offering thousands of dollars to help with down payment and closing costs.

According to the UT, the median home price in the San Diego market reached up to $750,000 this summer. Local leaders say opportunities to purchase are even harder for black families.

"31 percent of black families in San Diego own their own home versus 65 of white families, that's unacceptable. It's always been unacceptable," says Ricardo Flores with LISC San Diego.

Saturday morning (August 21st), local agencies joined forces to announce the launch of the San Diego Black Homebuyer Program. It will be operated through The Urban League of San Diego County (San Diego, CA). The goal is to provide stability for families around the county.

The Louisville Urban League (Louisville, KY) celebrated its centennial by hosting a community health fair Saturday (August 21st) hosted at Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center in the Russell neighborhood.

Vendors provided professional health screenings, including blood pressure checks, dental screenings and mammograms, to encourage people to make positive lifestyle changes.

The event also featured COVID-19 vaccines and grocery giveaways. 

"Our five pillars are 'Jobs, Justice, Education, Health, and Housing' so today we are celebrating and lifting up health and we are really putting on an event for the community to come out and really take care of themselves," Lyndon Pryor, Chief Engagement Officer of the Louisville Urban League, said. 

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Hundreds gathered Saturday (August 21st) at the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City (Oklahoma City, OK) for the opportunity to clear their criminal records at its first Expungement Expo.

Getting your record expunged is difficult and can cost around $2,500.

The Urban League and other partners are guiding people through it and covering the cost, helping them get better jobs and opportunities in the future.

On Saturday there was a ceremony for 20 people who finished the four-month process of getting their records expunged.

For some it has been a long time coming.

“It’s a game changer," said Tiffany Mason, one of the 20 who finished the process.

Mason had a minor felony on her record since 1994 and says she hasn't been in trouble since.

She says that has made it difficult to find a job.

The Las Vegas Urban League (Las Vegas, NV) received $10,000 from Enterprise Holdings Foundation to advance social and racial equity in Clark County.

The contribution is part of the Enterprise Holdings ROAD Forward commitment to allocate $35 million to more than 70 global Enterprise operating teams to drive local impact, as part of its broader commitment to donate $55 million over five years to organizations that advance social and racial equity in the communities where it operates.

The local grants program empowers employees to take the lead on identifying organizations that are best equipped to address social and racial equity gaps in their own communities across three areas: early childhood development, youth health and wellness, and career and college preparation

It’s time to march. On August 28th, we are marching virtually and in-person to end voter suppression + protect our right to vote. Join us! | Calling all young professionals! At our 2021 National Urban League Annual Conference, we curated sessions for career coaching + much more. RSVP today. | Are you vaxxed? Currently, eight states in the U.S. make up over half of the COVID-19 hospitalizations across the nation. Here’s how you can stay safe. | Cancel student loans. Proper access to higher education is a longstanding civil rights issue. Here’s an essay on how to create a more equitable society. | Our vote, our voice. Tune into the latest episode of our podcast to hear from community leaders doing critical work on the ground to protect our right to vote.

Kennedy Associates Inc. (KAI) joined the Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis (St. Louis, MO) to officially break ground on the organization’s new Senior Apartments and Community Center in North St. Louis County, Missouri.

The 3716-m2 (40,000-sf) facility will be built at 9947 West Florissant in the city of Dellwood. KAI is providing design-build services on the project.

The $10 million, three-story building will include 44 resident units (40 one-bedroom units and four two-bedroom units), including a community room on the main level for 12 to 15 people and a resident lounge with kitchenette and restrooms.

The main level will also include a private managers office, reception area, workroom, and shared access to the community room. Construction on the building is expected to be completed in December 2022.

 As students in the Tri-State return to the classroom, a local nonprofit wants to prepare them for the new school year.

On Friday (August 13th), the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio (Cincinnati, OH) is hosting a youth summit that focuses on bullying, mental health, and overcoming adversity at Woodward High School.

“I’ve seen [bullying] firsthand and I’ve dealt with it firsthand, which is why I fully agree this is something we should be talking about head-on,” one of the organizers, Mionna Godfrey, said. “We should talk about it.”

Godfrey is 15-years-old and a member of the Urban League’s Urban Champions youth employment program.

She and her peers organized the summit, which is for youth ages 10 to 21 years old.

All across the Midlands there are children going back to school without any supplies, whether it’s due to family finances or the hardships from the pandemic.

So, on Friday (August 13th), the Columbia Urban League (Columbia, SC) decided to step in and help by giving out free bookbags full of school supplies.

“I just had knee surgery, so I hadn't been able to hobble around in the stores good enough to get things for my children,” said Lasonya McMath who received supplies. “This is more helpful for me.”

The organization gave out more than 300 bags that were donated by Absolute Total Care and Walmart.

"You have people trying to balance everything and I think this giveaway for bookbags provides a great opportunity to help them with some of the finances and expenditures that they have to provide with going back to school,” said President and CEO of Columbia Urban League, JT McLawhorn.

The Knoxville Area Urban League (Knoxville, TN) and Urban League of Greater Chattanooga (Chattanooga, TN) will soon begin a joint session of NextLevel, a business development program offered through a partnership between the Tennessee Valley Authority, Interise and Tennessee Urban League Affiliates. The purpose of the seven-month program, scheduled to start August 18, is to support established small business owners who wish to create a dynamic plan to grow his or her business.

“NextLevel is an impactful program that utilizes research-driven business development tools and local collaboration with industry professionals to help business owners build a strategic roadmap to business growth and success,” said Phyllis Y. Nichols, President and CEO of the Knoxville Area Urban League. “We deeply appreciate our community partners, Tennessee Valley Authority and Interise, for their commitment to entrepreneurs who are ready to take their next steps forward.”