FAQS
What is the EquiShare Alliance Program?
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EquiShare Alliance is a market-driven program creating opportunities for appropriate, affordable, and sustainable home ownership. Those opportunities are provided to the millions of American workers who cannot afford to buy a home within the systemic constraints of this 21st century housing market. EquiShare bridges the gap between their financial ability and their housing needs. It does so without government subsidies, compromised housing, or charitable contribution.
EquiShare works with the prospective buyer to identify the amount of their income that should appropriately be dedicated to their housing costs. Once it has that number, EquiShare calculates the amount of financing that number supports through conventional mortgages. Deducting that number from the market pricing of desired homes, EquiShare then arranges for investments to cover the difference.
Each party benefits from the eventual appreciation in accordance with their contribution. If we look at a typical $400,000 home, the prospective buyer might qualify for financing of $240,000, or 60% of the home; the investment would provide $160,000, or 40%. When the house is sold, the buyer would receive 60% of the proceeds, and the investor 40%, regardless of what the sales price is.
This split in the proceeds of the sale has no impact on the owner’s living in the home; it is invisible until the property is sold, and the proceeds are divided. The owner-occupant has every ability and choice that would normally be present; they also have all of the responsibilities of home ownership.
In order to assure the best possible outcome for all concerned, a branch of EquiShare called EquiShare Assurance guarantees consistent payments on the part of the owner-occupant in the event of negative circumstances, such as loss of wages or health issues. That coverage provides optimum results for the owner, the lender, and the investor, allowing predictable returns and stability.
The bottom line: EquiShare, working with the financial capabilities of the owner-occupant and the dictates of the marketplace, provides the opportunity for millions of American workers to live where and how they should and to participate directly in all of the advantages of home ownership.
What was the inspiration for, and history of, EquiShare?
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Working for a Wall Street firm in 1981, Gary Adornato noticed a statistical oddity: the gap between median income and median housing prices was growing. He projected that should that trend continue and expand, there would be serious repercussions for the economy on multiple levels. It was in that paper that the term EquiShare was coined, for the idea of shared benefits or ownership of a residential property.
Further examinations occurred periodically in the decades that followed. In 2002, Gary founded a mortgage company in North Texas and began studying the extreme efforts being made to facilitate home buyers as the disparity between income and pricing had expanded; the economic crisis that followed demonstrated the need for a sustainable, stabilizing format that didn’t require stretching capabilities to the breaking point.
In 2015, Gary began refining and formulating the basic premise of the EquiShare idea, applying his actual experiences in finance, economics, home financing, insurance, product, and corporate development and analysis. Working with industry friends around the country, EquiShare began to take form and become executable. The immense scale and need demanded a unique approach to development; the patience to fully vet the applications through numerous simulations, followed by analysis and adjustments without pressure to bring the program to the public prematurely.
In the decades since its initial concept, the constant growth of the distance from income to housing costs had expanded the challenge of affordability from lower-income households to what was once considered our prized middle class. In 2022, the median household income could only afford 58% of the cost of the median home, a record low. Teachers, police, nurses, municipal workers … none of those professions earn sufficient income to afford to buy a home in much of America. Governments federal and municipal devoted billions to vainly trying to plug a widening hole. It was past time for a better solution.
As the idea evolved, Gary incorporated professional support to further refine the concept and practical workings of EquiShare. In 2021, the law firm of Dunlop, Bennet and Ludwig was retained to provide guidance, leading to the strong involvement of senior partner Cherylyn LeBon. In the beginning of 2022, a team from the marketing firm LINK Strategic Partners was retained to act as sounding board and advisors; ultimately, Michael Akin, Founder and President of the firm, agreed to serve personally on the project as CMO. The presence of multiple professionals helped bring EquiShare into focus, supporting the development of a robust, comprehensive program fully capable of meeting the massive demand and expanding opportunity.
Today, EquiShare is ready for the next phase: execution. Its inspiration remains as it did 42 years ago: to create a market-driven, self-sufficient program that will provide appropriate housing to groups across the socio-economic spectrum, restoring a lost promise to our critical workforce. Using EquiShare at its fullest capacity, every working household can own a tangible piece of the American Dream; dignity and stability that has been out of reach for far too long.
How large is the potential market for EquiShare?
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Estimates for the number of individuals and families that aspire to own a home, but can’t afford it in the current system, vary significantly. Part of the problem is a growing resignation that ownership is impossible; another issue is the variety of ways in which surveys have posed the question.
It is safe to say that the number of households that would, if they were able, participate in ownership is in the tens of millions. EquiShare is designed to accommodate buyers at a broad range of levels, from upper-lower and lower-middle-income workers to professionals in the higher classes, so it stands to address virtually all of the outstanding demand.
EquiShare will not serve the entirety of the existing demand; the scale and diversity are beyond the capacity envisioned. EquiShare is being built to resolve the desires of hundreds of thousands of households over the first three years of operation, with an anticipated operational capacity of 1.3 million home purchases through the third year of operations inclusive. If we project the median house purchase to be at $400,000, our success in reaching those targets would indicate a hand in property sales of about $520 billion, and a new, permanent home for 3.4 million Americans.
How does EquiShare Alliance work?
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In simplest terms, EquiShare identifies what the buyer should pay, determines what the market demands for their housing, and provides the difference through outside investment. EquiShare then supports the owner-occupier and other involved parties, guaranteeing payments in the event of financial problems, and ensuring the consistent upkeep of the property through to its sale.
EquiShare begins the process with a revolutionary idea: the buyer should allocate only the amount that they can sustainably afford to pay for their housing. Using financial planning precepts rather than generalized formulae, EquiShare qualifies each buyer individually. Simulations suggest that the majority of applicants will be qualified below conventional levels, usually within a 30-33% debt-to-income ratio.
Once qualified for an amount of financing, there is an analysis of the pricing within a desired marketplace. In most cases, there will be a substantial gap between what the buyer can afford and the housing price. Investment is provided, and the two parties – owner-occupant and investment – are accorded a percentage of the future proceeds from sale according to the amount of contribution. As an example, assume a $400,000 purchase price, a $240,000 financing by the owner-occupant (60%), and a $160,000 contribution from the investment (40%). At the time of sale, the home brings $600,000; the owner-occupant receives $360,000 of the proceeds (less the cost of retiring their mortgage) and the investor receives $240,000.
There are features that operate throughout the process, primarily managed by EquiShare Assurance, a subsidiary company that services the loan and manages the relationship with the owner. Through EquiShare Assurance, payments are guaranteed, the property is inspected periodically, and the owner-occupant can increase or decrease their percentage of benefit in response to individual circumstances.
How does EquiShare Alliance make money?
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Through their involvement in the various aspects of the home buying transaction, EquiShare Alliance participates in the revenues usually generated by a home purchase.
It provides captive, qualified, and ready-to-close buyers to Real Estate agents, a group that the agency would never otherwise see. In exchange, it participates in the revenues generated.
It provides highly qualified, attractive term borrowers to Loan Originators, and provides the Originator with loan servicing, guaranteed payment, and potential liquidity for the generated paper. Again, it provides captive clients that the lender would be unable to service without EquiShare’s participation. In exchange, it participates in the revenues generated.
It provides a pure, optimized investment in residential real estate without management or maintenance issues, with highly reduced costs, without vacancies, and without the possibility of the property being sold under duress. In exchange, it has revenues generated from those services.
In a typical sale of a $400,000 home, fees and commissions generated often exceed $35-$40,000. EquiShare removes several cost and labor elements, and in return receives about a fourth of that amount both directly and indirectly, depending on the nature of the participants.
What is EquiShare Assurance?
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One of the most innovative features of EquiShare Alliance programs is the invention of EquiShare Assurance, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the parent. EquiShare Assurance acts as a partner to the prospective owner-occupant throughout the process, guiding them through the intake system of qualifying and processing, providing a third-party response to questions, then providing financial support in the event of the owner-occupant being unable to meet their obligations. The purpose of EquiShare Assurance is to provide optimized outcomes for every participant in the transaction and throughout the owner’s possession of the property.
The ability of EquiShare Assurance to provide that financial support is based on another innovation: the calibration of the value of the home into fractions. The idea of dividing the proceeds into percentages instead of dollars allows a series of dynamic relationships, beginning with the purchase when the owner-occupant and the investor are delegated ratios based on their actual contributions. Taking that concept further, in the event that EquiShare Assurance is needed to provide capital on behalf of the owner, repayment can be made in a pro-rata percentage of the sales proceeds.
As an example, if the house is purchased for $400,000, and the need is for $8,000 of cash, EquiShare Assurance receives 2% of the home value at the sale; the resulting percentages are 58% for the owner, 2% for EquiShare Assurance, and the original 40% for the investor. If circumstances permit, the owner-occupant can recapture that 2% from EquiShare Assurance at a later date at market prices.
Using this fluid recalibration of benefits, the relationship between the owner-occupant and EquiShare Assurance is responsive to the changing needs and abilities of the owner, creating unprecedented resiliency and stability. Coupled with EquiShare Assurance’s annual property inspections and function as loan servicing, the lender and the investor have predictable and maximized outcomes; no defaults, no surprises, and best-case pricing at the sale.
Does EquiShare Alliance require government funding or support?
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EquiShare Alliance requires no government subsidy, no program support, and no special legislative remedies. It operates fully within market forces, providing profit incentives that meet or exceed those of each participant's usual business model.
That said, in certain programs and applications, the use of existing Treasury, Fed, and other agency funds can be considered. Where municipalities are involved as providers of EquiShare benefits to their employees, it is possible that budget and external funds could be appropriately and profitably involved. In those cases, it is important to note that any financial participation would be expected to be both profitable and serve other critical purposes, such as recruitment and retention of the key workforce.
No participant in EquiShare Alliance programming sacrifices profit and secondary benefits in exchange for solving the housing challenges of their constituency. Consider the current alternatives, where government and corporate balance sheets are being compromised by massive capital outlays in the name of affordable housing, often without success or impact. Market-driven EquiShare Alliance operates on an uncompromising profit motive and unsurprisingly creates extraordinary results.
Who can use EquiShare Alliance?
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In preparation for the extreme demand and breadth of demographic interest, EquiShare has built the initial programs around defined groups of buyers. These groups are labeled as Verticals and defined by consumer groups with common forms of employment, common affiliated resources, and common distribution channels. Bringing together potential buyers with the same interests and characteristics will allow necessary restrictions on the raw quantity of applicants, and allow for optimizing the operating and marketing collaboration.
EquiShare assumes that future iterations will have open enrollment in the program, once there is sufficient refinement in the process to expand the capacity; for the first three years, EquiShare Alliance projects strictly servicing selected Verticals
What are some potential Verticals for the EquiShare programs?
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There are as many potential Verticals as there are groups and types of workers or members. The projection of Verticals intended for penetration includes three primary types:
Profession / Occupation based designations, such as Teachers, Government Workers, Police and Firefighters, and Veterans. An example would be a Vertical for Educators, with sub-Verticals based on geographic areas such as states or cities.
Specific Entities, such as Corporations, Organizations, and Municipalities. Examples would include an employee benefit program sponsored by Pepsi and extended to their employees nationally; members of the UAW, with the program a benefit of membership; employees of the municipal government of Austin, Texas.
Programs that integrate specific real estate development and EquiShare programs. Examples would include a major dedicated housing development in Dallas, Texas sponsored by the City of Dallas, with the intention of workforce stabilization and relief of pressure on existing housing stocks from the influx. In that example, a consortium of developers would work with the City on building properties at market pricing but marketing the homes to buyers with substantially less buying power; the neighborhoods would be elevated, the tax base expanded and the attraction to needed workers high.
How does EquiShare relate to regulatory agencies?
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Perhaps unexpectedly, EquiShare intends to be highly proactive and cooperative with the evaluation and definition of standards governing this new genre. EquiShare intends to promote significant regulations on standards and practices, hoping to create a strong and resilient industry.
The genesis of that aggressive posture is this: EquiShare will be defined not only by its successes but by the failures of inferior copycats who seek to take advantage of the path that we create. It is in our interest to have strong regulatory support in suppressing those entrants into our space that do not do the difficult work of providing quality experiences and results.
Quality competition is welcome, although our status as founders of the concept and first-in producers will provide advantages. The market is likely several measures too large for any one company to control – the transactions will ultimately run in the several millions, and the property affected valued in the trillions – so good quality imitations will only confirm the marketplace, establish confidence, and further innovation.
Who are the potential beneficiaries of EquiShare programs?
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An obvious beneficiary of the EquiShare Alliance programs are the buyers. Buyers are provided a critical and comfortable entry into the housing market, made possible by the lower qualifying regarding projected payments, supported by the EquiShare Assurance programs protecting their occupancy, and designed to facilitate future moves and purchases. Lifestyle improvements from stability impact education, health care, work stabilization, and civic engagement.
Other beneficiaries are similarly obvious: real estate agencies have access to a huge and unprecedented group of qualified buyers; lenders similarly have a captive program that brings them fully priced, highly qualified borrowers who have limited or no opportunity for failure; investors have exceptionally clean, protected and managed mechanisms for participation in residential housing.
The more obscure beneficiaries have significant benefits and motivation for involvement. In the case of municipalities that are struggling to recruit and retain critical police, teachers, nurses, and other professionals, EquiShare Alliance provides a superior tool for the resolution of primary objections. The presentation to a teacher of employment that is accompanied by their opportunity to own a home where they work is powerful and unprecedented. The opportunity to do so without subsidy or loss is even more unique and valuable.
Similarly, envision a corporation competing for hires, and struggling with the recent trend to the high mobility of trained personnel. Offering recruits an enhanced lifestyle and convenient commutation will not only create advantages in competitive environments but will also promote retention; employees that are comfortable in homes valued well above their own capacity to purchase will be less likely to leave for a parallel or only slightly improved position.
Powerful beneficiaries of the movement toward ownership and away from rentals are the neighborhoods and communities where such programs are involved. Homes that are owned are more likely to improve their property and value; they are more likely to engage in their community and take an active interest in characteristics such as neighborhood businesses, political involvement, local events and civic resources. Municipalities benefit from expanded tax bases and reliable workforces; the economy benefits from efficiencies and elevated taxes.
Ultimately, good housing owned and preserved benefits everyone, and improves social, economic, and civic outcomes throughout the spectrum.
Is EquiShare Alliance an Affordable Housing program?
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EquiShare Alliance is not an affordable housing program, based on a colloquial and generalized housing industry use of the term.
In the original documentation, EquiShare Alliance was referred to as a “market-driven response to the affordable housing crisis.” Over time, that reference has failed to keep up with the actuality of the programs.
In the current world, affordable housing often conjures up images of low-income rental properties, often in underserved communities. EquiShare Alliance provides nothing of the sort – it is a program for creating purchase opportunities for housing serving a broad spectrum of the working population, with an emphasis on appropriate, sustainable, and yes, affordable homes. The outcomes of EquiShare Alliance programs are elevations of lifestyles and living conditions, keyed to the needs and expanded abilities of the buyers.
As a result, EquiShare Alliance has moved away from the term “affordable housing”, seeing it as too limited, too compromised, and too failed. That said, it is the term used by agencies and banks to define entry into their systems; while we do not use it internally, it may appear at times when the designation is unavoidable.
How does EquiShare work with and benefit existing Real Estate Agencies?
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EquiShare can benefit Real Estate Agencies directly. EquiShare Alliance programs pre-qualify and provide guaranteed, prompt closing for a captive group of buyers. These buyers are directed to Certified Real Estate Agents in the area where they are shopping for homes and provided to those agents along with their files, preferences, and contacts. Agents then have a defined opportunity to provide them with suitable homes.
The Real Estate agents that EquiShare Alliance works with will receive a significant quantity of otherwise unreachable buyers, buyers who are able to purchase homes at market prices.
EquiShare Alliance requires that agents are Certified for the EquiShare program being represented, a process that creates an understanding of the parameters under which the buyer can make their purchase.
How does EquiShare work with and benefit existing Loan Originators?
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EquiShare Alliance works with any and all Loan Originators who agree to the unique terms and conditions surrounding an EquiShare mortgage. This may, depending on the program, require minor addendums to the Loan Agreement. In exchange, EquiShare Alliance provides a quantity of highly qualified buyers at very favorable terms, usually 60 LTV, and 33 DTI contracts with a third-party guarantee against default. As with RE Agents, the borrowers provided are not only extremely favorable and in quantity, but they are a captive group that is not negotiating terms, and that is otherwise unavailable to the Lenders.
In addition, EquiShare Alliance takes on several elements of the usual lending process. EquiShare Alliance pre-qualifies the borrowers, eliminates marketing or loan officer functions, creates the processing file, and provides underwriting templates that ensure compliance with EquiShare Alliance terms and conditions. It handles all questions and concerns, provides all necessary and appropriate documentation, and then services the loans. It guarantees timely payment for the life of the mortgage regardless of the buyer's circumstances.
How does EquiShare work with and benefit existing Financial Institutions?
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There are two aspects to the relationship with Financial Institutions: debt and equity.
On the debt side, to the extent that EquiShare Alliance has control over the dissemination of the mortgages, EquiShare provides specific and definable tranches of truly AAA paper. The loans have terms far better than conventional loans, represent buyers who have been highly qualified, and come with a third-party guarantee against default. Essentially, the program debt is extremely valuable and should create a premium value in secondary markets.
On the investor side, the aggregated participation in proceeds vehicles have several unique qualities. They are pure capital plays, offering the most efficient participation in the residential real estate market: there are minimal fees and charges, the properties are managed and maintained by enforceable agreement, and the properties are sold at their optimal value, without concerns about foreclosure, short sales, or conditional issues. EquiShare Alliance can provide sufficient quantity and data to allow institutional buyers to specify tranches by various qualities, and to create sufficient products to encourage marketing focus.
As a strong ESG entity, EquiShare Alliance fits the broadest range of investors, profitably providing a response to shareholder and constituent demands.
Can an owner-occupant involuntarily lose their home?
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While it is possible for an EquiShare Alliance owner-occupant to be forced to move, there are no provisions for foreclosure, eviction, or conflict. The EquiShare program is flexible and dynamic by design, giving owner-occupants true security in their home, able to accommodate most changing life circumstances. Should the owner-occupant’s share of future home sale proceeds decline below a specific range (usually 50%) – as a result of many missed payments or major uncovered financial issues – then the process of putting the home up for sale initiates.
Even here, the interests of the buyer are fully protected. The home is prepared for sale, and the property is sold without compromise of special circumstances. Once sold, the buyer receives the full percentage of the appreciation indicated by the remaining percentages.
What is EquiShare’s competition today? What will it be later?
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On one hand, EquiShare’s ability to dramatically expand the buying power of its participants sets it apart from any other program. The existing programs – rent-to-own, DAPs, etc. – all provide calculations based on the income of the buyer, only slightly (in comparison) impacting their capabilities.
In divorcing the buyer’s income from the purchase price, only EquiShare elevates their opportunity to a point where it matches the regular market prices and provides programmed resiliency once inside.
After the release of the EquiShare Alliance program, competition will emerge in two distinct formats. There will be a number of rapid copies that will – by the nature of their rushing – miss multiple and necessary keys to successful operations. It is hoped that our cooperation and collaboration with various regulatory agencies will serve to protect the public and preclude those competitors from flourishing.
The second format will be highly capitalized, professionally produced companies with similar characteristics and objectives. These will be welcome and will serve to solidify the genre as important and permanent. We anticipate these followers to emerge in the second or third year of our operation, more likely the latter than the former, due to the time requirements in development.
We also assume that the larger entities will attempt to purchase EquiShare Alliance before they initiate building their own version. Our position of first-in and our book of clients will add to our value, and the companies that have the wherewithal to build a version will likely explore the possibilities of merging or acquiring EquiShare Alliance. We anticipate those offers to become substantial in the latter part of the second year of operation.
Does EquiShare only work with single-family homes?
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EquiShare is concerned with the provision of the benefits of ownership, not the format. It works in equal measure for single-family, duplex, multi-family structures or alternatives; so long as there is a market value for the home, and a demonstrable secondary market, the program can be applied with equal Efficacy.
In point of fact, EquiShare assumes that a significant — likely majority — of properties entering the program regarding low and low-moderate-income households will be in the form of multi-family dwellings. This is helpful considering the current lack of available properties; EquiShare has modeled several simple programs where a building that is currently used for rental units can be converted to ownership formats (co-op, condo, alternative) with a critical and unique difference -- the opportunity for the existing tenants to switch to ownership without changing their current monthly payments, and if appropriate, even reducing them.
In every circumstance, the primary objectives of the EquiShare program are (a) to change the paradigm surrounding property ownership toward inclusiveness and accessibility, and (b) to promote household financial stability and efficiencies across multiple and new SES. The format of the property is irrelevant to those objectives.
While not incorporated into the existing planning, the structured changes required for using EquiShare in smaller commercial, light industrial and even entrepreneurial applications have been gamed out successfully. The use of the program for vacation and second homes, and for income-producing non- owner-occupied properties are less clear, with significant issues relating to the enforceability of maintenance covenants and frequency of turnover are potentially problematic.
Will EquiShare work with decentralized economics or crypto-economic paradigms?
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In many ways, EquiShare Alliance programs have learned from, adapted to, and expanded on crypto-economic paradigms.
The basic premise, that the value of a home can be share and dynamically apportioned, is fully representative of tokenization principles. The concept of an organic relationship between the owner-occupant and EquiShare Assurance – where the elements of ownership are fluid and move between the parties based on changing circumstances – borrows extensively from the idea of the smart contract, an arrangement that sees the agreement between parties as dynamic and not static, responsive rather than rigid.
Ultimately, the capital investments in the properties (whether in aggregate or individually) may be expressed through tokenization and operate in a decentralized fashion, changing hands without a trusted third party. Exchange development to augment liquidity will likely involve blockchain for its range and precision; the intake system is largely self-automated and internally autonomous, leaving the collection, recording, and management of huge numbers of individual data points.
We are frequently asked whether EquiShare homes will allow for payment in various cryptocurrencies; while that may be possible in future iterations, the current reliance on the existing banking system and the lack of interest shown by the real estate industry in making that break suggests that it will not be soon.
How does EquiShare reflect ESG values?
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EquiShare is uniquely qualified not only to adopt ESG priorities but to advance them in ways that the existing housing industry cannot match. From its inception, ESG becomes an iconic representative of the idea and lends that credibility to its partners. Support for the development, emergence, and implementation of EquiShare is, in several ways, a very tangible realization of the aspirations of ESG.
Environmental: Life at the edges of the economy is disproportionately nonresponsive to environmental concerns and technologies. Motivations on the part of landlords, government agencies and property managers are towards reducing costs, both in construction and in maintenance; occupants have little impact over the quality of their surroundings, nor the capacity to improve them if they chose. There is a growing and compelling body of work that links environmental and related health issues -- from mold and air quality to inefficiencies and emissions enhanced by age and poor repair, to the effect of transience and lack of stability in the tenants -- to race and class segregations in housing.
EquiShare has two defining impacts on this area: it stabilizes and improves the conditions for millions of low and low-moderate-income households, and it creates a mandatory system of maintenance and repair that assures the lowest possible footprint within its range. It also has the capacity (consider as an example FHA property requirements) to establish and require property minimums and conditions that elevate existing standards.
Social: In this area, EquiShare has the capability of dramatic and systemic reforms and improvements. Low-income housing typically tends towards rental properties and extreme transience, to underserved communities and adversarial landlord/tenant dynamics. Households have no ability or motivation to engage in their communities, or to focus on local politics; they cannot establish efficient or effective relationships with their local resources or social programs; their health care is defined by sequential and often cumbersome relationships with facilities, doctors, and resources. The average rental tenancy lasts for 22-26 months, depending on factors; the average homeownership lasts for plus or minus 9 years.
Potentially, the conversion of millions of low to middle-income families from renters to owners substantially and permanently alters the nature of a solid percentage of American communities, creating stability and engagement, providing for efficiencies and civic planning, recasting and deforming class distinctions and distances.
Education of the young; evolved paradigms of policing and support; community stability and involvement; access to and reliability of essential workforces; the promoted success of local businesses and energies; improved health care, food diversity, and federal resource utilization… all of these are among the easily identified outcomes of a successful, scaled implementation of the EquiShare program.
Governance: The proposed formulation of the EquiShare operations and management is a collaborative process focused on a layer of guidance and support over existing corporate infrastructures. Providing systems, templates, and access to infrastructure, and critical / irreplaceable management of the process, EquiShare has the authority to actively insist that its partners and public expressions meet elevated criteria relating to diversity, transparency, and integrity. In addition, EquiShare transactions, terms, and agreements are fully transparent, allowing for a synergy of motivation between the borrower, the lender, the investor and EquiShare as manager of the process.
Will EquiShare be a CDFI-certified institution?
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Formed as a product of the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994, the CDFI and related programs serve as a bridge between underserved and distressed communities and financial services and resources. The CDFI Fund, a program operated by the U.S. Treasury Department is a growing and active factor in the development of underserved and severely distressed communities; certified CDFI lenders nationally have become meaningful in a variety of economic and social roles.
The core objectives of EquiShare Homes appear to fit neatly within the guidelines for CDFI certification and will be explored further. At present, the more diverse focus of the CDFI certification programs and The fund, and its particular focus on programmed tax credits and incentives, are not being used to define EquiShare objectives or methodologies, but the continuing investigation may increase that as a priority.