ORLANDO, Fla. — About 65 community members gathered at the University of Central Florida's downtown campus Friday to begin planning the launch of a new regional homeownership initiative, “BIPOC @ Home.”  

​“BIPOC” stands for “Black Indigenous People of Color.”

The program, which is set to launch this fall, has a goal of helping 5,000 Central Floridians of color transition into homeownership during the next five years.

“We are really excited about the impact that this initiative is going to have on closing the homeownership gap,” said Traci Blue, director of strategic community initiatives at Bright Community Trust, the nonprofit behind the new program. 

Only about half of Central Florida’s BIPOC population are homeowners, compared with three-quarters of the white population, according to the Florida Data Clearinghouse. Disparities persist even within higher-income groups, according to that data, which is curated by the Shimberg Center of Housing Studies at the University of Florida.

Bright Community Trust is working closely with Shimberg on data analysis to help identify areas of need and strategies to address that need.

“We need to know where we're starting, so we know if we’re actually making any impact,” Blue said, adding that data also helps illustrate the reality of Central Florida's disproportionate homeownership rates for people of color.

“There are people who don’t believe necessarily in the gaps, and in the need for an initiative like this,” Blue said. 

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer addressed the crowd at Friday’s initial planning session, along with staff from Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings’ office and District 5 Commissioner Emily Bonilla. Bright Community Trust is also partnering with locally-based groups like the Polis Institute and Marketing For Change, both of whom presented Friday. 

Community members who’d like to share their ideas for the forthcoming BIPOC @ Home initiative can can visit the initiative's website to learn more and get involved.