The federal government has made sweeping changes to reduce the availability and quality of Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity (SOGI) data across federal surveys, administrative systems and programs. The removal of SOGI data impacts federal policymaking, researchers, advocates and service providers that rely on this information to form policy and assess needs and programming. These two respected LGBTQ experts explain why being seen and counted matters.

Drastic cuts and a series of new procedures have limited the enforcement of the Fair Housing act and protections against discrimination claims. This conversation will explore the changes and how the industry can fill in the void in the meantime.

Chief Economist Danielle Hale delivers a data-driven analysis of the housing affordability crisis — its structural causes, its human costs, and where the market goes from here. Drawing on the latest research and economic indicators, she unpacks how supply shortfalls, price appreciation, and interest rate dynamics interact, and shares the key signals to watch as conditions evolve.

Private listing networks are expanding. Major brokerages are merging and gaining scale. Inventory remains historically tight. Affordability continues to erode for first-time and underserved buyers. But these trends are not happening in isolation; they are colliding all at once. What do they mean for practitioners, consumers, businesses and the future of housing? This candid cross-sector discussion will explore the emerging power dynamics and policy implications shaping the future of housing.

Today’s lending environment presents a complex and often discouraging landscape for first-time homebuyers. Rising home prices, persistent affordability challenges, and tightening credit conditions have made entry into homeownership more difficult than at any point in recent memory. This panel will explore the structural forces reshaping access to homeownership, including elevated interest rates, limited housing supply, and stricter underwriting standards. Panelists will examine whether traditional tools—such as down payment assistance (DPA) programs—still move the needle, and how buyers can effectively leverage them in today’s market.

LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance leaders confront the realities of the day and define what comes next. As fair housing protections face uncertainty, market pressures intensify, and the climate grows more complex, this conversation challenges practitioners to step fully into their role as advocates, leaders and protectors of access to homeownership.