Featured Keynote Speaker:
John Trasviña
HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity

John Trasviña was nominated by President Obama to be Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity on April 20, 2009, and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate on May 1, 2009. The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) administers and enforces federal laws and establishes policies that make sure all Americans have equal access to the housing of their choice.

Before joining the Obama Administration, Assistant Secretary Trasviña served as President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). There he led the "law firm for the Latino community" by advancing litigation and public policy in the areas of civil rights, immigration, education and related issues.Assistant Secretary Trasviña began his career at MALDEF in Washington, DC, as a legislative attorney in 1985. He later worked for U.S. Senator Paul Simon as General Counsel and Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. In 1997, President Clinton appointed Mr. Trasviña as Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices. As Special Counsel until 2001, he led the only federal government office devoted solely to immigrant workplace rights and was the highest ranking Latino attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.

After returning to California, Assistant Secretary Trasviña taught immigration law at Stanford Law School and was Director of the Discrimination Research Center in Berkeley. Previously, he was a member of the San Francisco Elections Commission, president of the Harvard Club of San Francisco, and a board member of the La Raza Lawyers Association, Latino Issues Forum, Campaign for College Opportunity, Lowell High School Alumni Association, and Pacific Coast Immigration Museum.

Assistant Secretary Trasviña, a native of San Francisco, California, is a graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School.

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THE WORKSHOPS: 8:45 – 11:45 a.m.
IMPLEMENTING OUR COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO FORECLOSURE: WHAT CAN I DO?
Between January 2008 and June 2009, nearly 2,000 households received housing counseling and more than 750 avoided foreclosure in Kent County. Even with these efforts, the County experienced another 5,067 foreclosures during this same time period; nearly half were in Grand Rapids. This workshop will build on the foreclosure crisis session held last year, which emphasized the immediate need for prevention and intervention activities as well as the need to plan for neighborhood stabilization and reinvestment in the long term. The workshop provided valuable input into a report, the “Comprehensive Response Plan: Addressing the Foreclosure Crisis” which will be presented by Kym Spring of Foreclosure Response. Ms. Spring will also discuss ways that community members and organizations can get involved in Kent County. The panel also includes Deborah Goldberg of the National Fair Housing Alliance, who will provide the framework for the discussion from the national perspective. Jeffrey May of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition will speak specifically to the issues associated with foreclosure rescue scams. Gustavo Rotondaro of the Grand Valley State University Community Research Institute will present the latest foreclosure data at the Grand Rapids neighborhood level.

AM I WELCOME TO LIVE HERE? ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF DISCRIMINATORY ADVERTISING
Every day in the United States, thousands of people view rental advertisements that illegally deny
housing to families with children and others protected by the federal Fair Housing Act. This workshop will focus on the impact of discriminatory advertising on housing choice, including the discrimination faced by seniors. The panel will share current trends and cases as well as information from two new reports. Cat Cloud of the National Fair Housing Alliance will discuss their new report, “For Rent: No Kids! How Internet Housing Advertisements Perpetuate Discrimination” and its recommendations for action. Mira Tanna of the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council will share information from their new report “Selective Marketing: A Report on Senior Housing Providers Compliance with Fair Housing Act Advertisement Requirements.” John Obee of Wood, Kull, Herschfus, Obee & Kull will share information on a landmark advertisement case in southeast Michigan. Elizabeth Vezino, the FHCWM’s Director of Advocacy, will provide information on current cases and trends in west Michigan. This workshop is made possible through the support of the Kent County Senior Millage.

WHY CAN’T I BUY THE HOME I WANT? ADDRESSING BARRIERS TO DEVELOPING FAIR, AFFORDABLE HOUSING
This workshop will cover a range of obstacles confronting the housing industry and homeseekers resulting in higher costs and fewer affordable housing options being developed thereby creating a disparate impact and decreasing equal housing opportunity. Anne Houghtaling of the National Fair Housing Alliance will discuss the importance of communities affirmatively furthering fair housing as required by law, citing current cases in New York, Illinois and Texas. Developer John Bitely of Sable Developing will discuss his experiences with barriers locally including changes in lending, municipal regulations, appraisals, and variances among others. Planning and development consultant Deborah Myerson will share information on workforce housing innovations. Real estate agent Doretha Ardoin of Grand Moves Realty will discuss the barriers from a home sales perspective. This workshop is being presented in partnership with the Workforce Housing Development Committee of the Home & Building Association of Greater Grand Rapids.

For more information or to register, call (616) 451-2980.

LUNCHEON KEYNOTE: 11:45 - 1:30 p.m.
Assistant Secretary Trasviña will speak about fair housing in the 21st century, including a policy update from the current administration and current fair housing trends and cases.

Click HERE for Highlights from 2009's Event

Click HERE for Highlights from 2008's Event

Click HERE for Highlights from 2007's Event

Click HERE for Highlights from 2006's Event

Click HERE for Highlights from 2005's Event

PLEASE CHECK BACK
for more information
from Our FHCWM Events Reporter:

COMING SOON!

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20 Hall Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507
Tel: (616) 451-2980, Toll Free: 1-866-389-FAIR
Fax: (616) 451-2657 email: contact-us@fhcwm.org