American Indian Homeownership Campaign
Category: Best Strategy for Reaching Minority Homebuyers
Information About Innovation:
Title:
American Indian Homeownership Campaign
Summary:
The Montana HomeOwnership Network has produced a series of television and radio commercials and broadcast them in markets touching American Indian Reservations. The purpose of the campaign was to encourage American Indians on reservations to learn more about homeownership options and to create interest in tribal housing authorities to develop active homeownership programs. As a result of these efforts, twenty-six loans have been closed on American Indian reservations since January 1, 2004.
Detailed Description:
Using grant funds from Rural Development and the Montana Association of Credit Unions, four television and radio commercials were produced using American Indian actors. The commercials emphasized the value of homeownership, the new options available and encouraged the viewer to call their tribal housing authority for more information.
The commercials were produced on the Flathead Indian Reservation by the Salish-Kootenai production studios. Experienced American Indian actors were hired from three reservations to play the parts of narrator, lender, housing counselor and the family purchasing the home. Flathead scenes and actual Indian-built and Indian-owned homes were featured.
The script of the commericials talked about the meaning of "home" for American Indians, the value of homeownership for a family's future, the steps to homeownership and the role of the tribal housing authority in creating homeownership opportunities. The "ask" of the commercials was for the viewer to "call their tribal housing authority" for more information. This type of "ask" is called "pull-through" marketing, where the viewer is influencing another's actions. (Similar marketing techniques are used by drug companies, when an ad says "Ask your doctor about xxxxx).
When the tribal housing authorities realized the number of tribal families interested in owning a home, they understood the important of creating or enhancing homeownerhsip programs within the housing authority in order to serve the needs of these tribal members.
The ads were copied by a local production company in Great Falls. Montana. The commercials were distributed by the Montana Broadcaster Association, under an enhanced public service announcement program. The terms of the program are "pay for one, get five free". At a cost of $10,000 (funded by Fannie Mae Foundation), the commercials were shown over a three month period in all American Indian markets. The television commercials were shown more than 3,000 times and the radio commercials were aired more than 2,000 times, for a cost per commercial of less than $2.00.
Projected Cost:
Total costs of the program was $19,550;
Production:$ 8750
Copies: 800
Air time: 10,000
Total: $19,550
The program was funded by a grants from Rural Development, the Montana Associaton of Credit Unions, and Fannie Mae Foundation.
2003 Outcomes:
Since the program aired in early 2004, no 2003 results are available.
Since the commercials aired, homebuyer education classes have been filled to the brim; with several areas adding sessions to meet the demand. For example, on the Crow reservation in southeastern Montana, classes have been offered bi-weekly for the past two months. (In part, the increase on the Crow reservation has been fueled by the passage of a foreclosure ordinance which allows conventional lending underwriting)
Twenty-six loans have been closed on American Indian reservations since January 1, 2004.
Keywords:
Homeownership, Indian, Native American, Reservation, Tribal
Information About Organization:
Name:
Montana HomeOwnership Network
Address 1:
509 First Avenue South
City, State, Zip:
Great Falls, Montana 59401
Org. Status:
501c3 Non-Profit
Contact Name:
Sheila Rice
Contact E-mail:
srice@nhsgf.org
Contact Phone:
406-761-5861
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