CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® awards REALTOR® Dawn Dyer the Champions of Home Impact Award
The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) today announced the recipients of its 2025 Champions of Home Impact Awards. These awards recognize REALTORS® in California who have made a significant impact on their communities through volunteer efforts. Dawn Dyer, a Ventura REALTOR® and broker, received the top award and will be recognized at C.A.R.’s annual REimagine! Conference & Expo in Chula Vista, Calif., on September 17.
“Dawn’s remarkable compassion and dedication to funding affordable housing have profoundly impacted her community,” said C.A.R. President Heather Ozur. “Her vision and hard work have ensured that thousands of Ventura County low-income workers, veterans, seniors and transition-aged foster youth have a place to call home and a community to thrive in. It is with great pride that we recognize her as our Champions of Home Impact Award winner, honoring her contributions that transform and influence the lives of so many in need.”
Twelve years ago, Dyer gathered a few concerned community members and founded the Housing Trust Fund of Ventura County (HTFVC) to increase the availability of affordable housing options. Under Dyer’s leadership as the “Founding Mother,” the HTFVC began by offering $2 million in matching funds for the early work involved in getting affordable housing off the ground. These funds allowed pre-development, site acquisition, design and engineering for housing projects to get underway until permanent funding arrived. Dyer’s expertise in real estate, land use, finance and related legal issues have been instrumental in growing HTFVC’s capacity to its current $48 million in funding. These funds have allowed for the creation of over 1,800 homes for approximately 5,000 very-low-income, low-income and middle-income employees, transitional age foster youth, veterans, seniors, farm workers and those who are unhoused.
Dyer connects the Fund to community members and local organizations, including municipal governments and associations involved in creating affordable housing. Her work helped the City of Ventura convert nearly 10 acres adjacent to the Veterans Home into affordable housing with supportive services, and she has helped the UC Regents with planning sustainable housing on a 37-acre endowment site. Following the December 2017 Thomas Fire in Ventura County, Dyer provided hands-on support for the community by staffing the housing resource center for displaced residents, cautioning against price gouging and helping to coordinate available shelter options. Dyer also currently serves as the chair of the Ventura County Continuum of Care Alliance, a collaborative group that provides shelter, healthcare and services to people without homes. Through her advocacy and leadership, Dyer has helped to make Ventura County a better, more equitable place to live.
The Housing Trust Fund of Ventura County will receive a $5,000 donation thanks to Dyer’s work.
For more information about the Champions of Home Impact Awards, visit on.car.org/awards
Leading the way…® in California real estate for 120 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States with more than 180,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Sacramento.
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