Tameka Bryant, broker at The Real Estate House, was the participant from KCRAR at a one-day conference last fall regarding Employer-Assisted Housing (EAH).  The conference, Employer-Assisted Housing: Bring Workers Home, was held in Chicago and was the first national conference intended to educate and raise awareness about EAH.  It was sponsored by NAR and several other organizations including the National Housing Conference, the US Chamber of Commerce and the US Conference of Mayors.

Bryant received a scholarship from NAR to attend the conference.  She says, “The conference allowed me to step into other communities and hear first hand what was working in other markets and how to utilize those strategies into my current business model.  I've been researching the ‘Home From Work’ initiative since KCRAR hosted the training some time ago, but attending the conference really opened my eyes to the possibilities.”

Bryant was one of 200 participants from 35 states and the District of Columbia.  They were divided between REALTORS®, employers, housing nonprofits and public agencies. This unique mix of audience provided opportunities for attendees to form relationships and gain better understanding of each profession's role in EAH.

The conference highlighted case studies and models of successful EAH programs from companies and local governments, provided strategies on ways that REALTORS®, housing organizations, lenders, and public officials and other stakeholders can partner to support EAH and workforce housing, and provided a forum for key stakeholders to connect and explore opportunities to work together to address this critical component of workforce housing.  Key conference speakers were from Aflac, the Chicago Housing Commission, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and Homes for Working Families.

Bryant is a member of the 2009 Heartland MLS Board of Directors and is Chairman of the 2009 KCRAR Communication Advisory Group.