'Get It' and Act!

At a recent symposium held by Stanford Graduate School of Business, studies were shared on ‘getting people to do good’. The context was recycling however the messages apply to any cause. One of the findings was to focus on good news and pair it with the broader philosophy of why the action is important. The pairing of good news and philosophy will help people to ‘get it’ and act.

Dr. Lisa K. Bates, of Portland State University and Portland Housing Center Board member, demonstrated that kind of messaging in her testimony to City Council on April 11th. The City Council is considering next year’s budget. The Office of Management and Finance recommended cutting all the homeownership education and counseling support. Homeownership advocates are asking funding support be continued and at $500,000.

The good news Dr. Bates told City Council was, “Through funding homeownership education and counseling, the City can ensure access to the benefits of homeownership is available to a broad spectrum of Portlanders –making these opportunities real for first generation buyers, moderate income households, women, and communities of color.”

The broader philosophy of why this is important according to Dr. Bates is “A thriving city is one that people both figuratively and literally ‘buy into’- owning a home as a commitment to community and an investment in the future. Owning a home gives people a tangible stake and an opportunity to benefit from economic development. Research shows that children of homeowners (even low income owners) have better health and do better in school and future employment.”

Now let’s hope City Council ‘gets it’ and reinstates $500,000 to fund homeownership education and counseling. If you ‘get it’ and want to act contact City Council and let them know you support homeownership services. Then join the Portland Safety Net and let everyone know.