As Senior Vice President, Economic Initiatives of UnidosUS, Laura Arce is influencing an economic and social imperative: Latino homeownership. Arce spearheads a multi-year, multi-million dollar initiative that is reshaping how the market serves Latino homebuyers by influencing better policies and practices to unlock the potential of Latino homeownership.

Arce has uniquely positioned herself to tackle a broad set of market challenges by harnessing perspectives from across the housing sector. In June 2023, Arce led the launch of the UnidosUS Home Ownership Means Equity (HOME) initiative, which set a transformative goal of creating four million new Latino homeowners. The Capitol Hill launch included members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and was followed by events in five key markets — California’s Central Valley, Chicago, Houston, Orlando and Phoenix – that included local elected officials, media, industry and other stakeholders.

Arce built HOME’s framework to address four structural barriers: homebuyer readiness, access to credit, housing supply for first-time homebuyers and preservation of the wealth-building potential of homeownership. She created an initiative that is being noticed by policymakers and the industry, and she is sought out for her expertise. Arce routinely briefs top administration officials, regulators and members of Congress and has spoken at industry events across the country on the importance of investing in Latino homeownership. 

Under her leadership, the HOME initiative partnered with the Urban Institute to establish a Latino homeownership research collaborative that improves insights on Hispanic homeownership, nurturing a growing network of Latino academics. Her work has received attention in national and local media outlets. Arce is also building a network of community-based organizations that are advancing Latino homeownership in local markets through pre-purchase education and by building homes that are affordable to first-time homebuyers.

Name:

Laura Arce

Title:

Senior Vice President, Economic Initiatives

Company Name:

UnidosUS