Outstanding Achievement in Fair Housing Award
2008 Recipients

Individual: Lillian Gentry

Mayor Jim Newberry, Lillian Gentry and Rabbi Marc Kline, Commission Chair

Mrs. Gentry is a leader in her neighborhood association, her church and several other organizations such as the NAACP, the Downtown Lexington Corporation, the Lexington Fair Housing Council and others.

From 1992 to 2006 Mrs. Gentry volunteered and served with Community Reinvestment Alliance as a volunteer Board member, a volunteer counselor and later as an underpaid employee.  Over the years, Mrs. Gentry has attended many community meetings and housing workshops promoting the importance of homeownership and her organization’s home buying assistance programs.  Mrs. Gentry has participated and supported the Commission’s fair housing programs and initiatives.

As a counselor she has mentored and nurtured first time homebuyers in realistically evaluating their readiness for a home purchase, understanding their financing and down payment options, and navigating what can be for many extremely confusing and difficult process.  She also counseled individuals to remain homeowners after purchase so that they could remain in their homes.

Organization: Lexington Bluegrass Association of REALTORS®

LBAR has been a valued partner with the Commission in promoting fair housing and equal opportunity in our community.  LBAR created a non-profit arm, the REALTOR®-Community Housing Foundation (RCHF), whose goal is to empower low income families and strengthen neighborhoods by assisting homeowners in need with modifications and repairs necessary for them to stay in their homes.  These programs provide home repairs for low-income elderly home owners, installs accessible ramps for people with disabilities and/or mobility impairments and to help single-parent graduates of the Virginia Place program become first-time home owners.  The Housing Foundation has grown its programs to help more people in need with effective community partnerships including the Remodelers Council of the Home Builders Association of Lexington, the Mortgage Bankers Association of the Bluegrass, the business community such the Lowe’s Stores of Lexington, faith communities including volunteers from Immanuel Baptist Church and Shiloh Baptist Church and many others in the housing industry, and community-at-large in Central Kentucky.

LBAR also supports the community with many REALTORS® volunteering and serving on many boards and commissions as representatives of their organization.  LBAR supports other diversity and cultural initiatives in our community by providing monetary donations and/or volunteers.

For many years LBAR has partnered with the Lexington Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission to provide fair housing training to members of the Association.  In addition, LBAR offers cross-cultural training programs for members to learn about doing business with clients from other countries. Chinese/Japanese, Latino, Indian/Pakistani and Middle Eastern training have been offered.