Contributors to the Brookings Institution Press and the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies' "Homeownership Built to Last: Affordability, Access, and Risk after the Housing Crisis" will discuss the book on Thursday, Oct. 30.

A new book from the Brookings Institution Press and the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS), "Homeownership Built to Last: Affordability, Access, and Risk after the Housing Crisis" reexamines the goals of homeownership and explores lessons learned from the housing crisis. On Thursday, Oct. 30, JCHS will host a book launch and panel conversation at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Mass., moderated by Chris Arnold, National Public Radio (NPR) reporter.

Though the national homeownership rate rose to its highest level ever in 2005, millions of Americans saw their hopes of building wealth through homeownership dashed in the foreclosure crisis that followed, at enormous financial, psychological, and social costs. With tighter credit in the wake of the crisis, purchasing a home today can be very difficult, particularly for those with limited resources.

Book contributors Marsha Courchane, Chris Herbert, Jeffrey Lubell and Patricia McCoy will discuss how despite the challenges and risks, Americans overwhelmingly still aspire to homeownership, and many advocates continue to view it as an important wealth-building strategy for low-income and minority households.

For more information, visit jchs.harvard.edu.