18th Annual Luncheon & Workshop Series		"Fair Housing Policy: Signs of Change"
Special Thanks to Our 2005 Sponsors:
UNDERWRITERS: - Fifth Third Bank - Grand Rapids Association of Realtors - Huntington Bank - Macatawa Bank - Mercantile Bank WORKSHOP SPONSORS: - County of Kent - Bank One - Grand Rapids Press - Wells Fargo Home Mortgage GOLD SPONSORS: - Comerica Bank - Land & Company - National City Bank	SILVER SPONSORS: - Chemical Bank West - Eastbrook Homes - GMAC Mortgage - Home & Builders Association - Irwin Union Bank - Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) - Standard Federal Bank BRONZE SPONSORS: - Drew Cooper & Anding - Exactgraphics - Exchange Financial - Flagstar Bank - Founders Trust Personal Bank - Independent Mortgage Company - Northpointe Bank - Select Bank - West Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association	NON-PROFIT SPONSORS: - Bos & Glazier - City of Grand Rapids Equal Opportunity Department - City of Grand Rapids Community Relations Commission - Community Rebuilders - Dwelling Place - Grand Rapids Housing Commission - Home Repair Services - Property Management Association of West Michigan

18th Annual Workshop & Luncheon Series a Great Success!!

Dr. Okianer Christian Dark, a Howard University Law professor, shared her experience with housing discrimination in an inspiring keynote address to a full room at the luncheon. FHC Board Members presented 2005 Fair Housing Awards to the City of Grand Rapids Planning Department, Lou Berra (HUD – Grand Rapids) and Rich Kogelschatz (Heartland Builders). Our sponsors and attendees played a key role in our success by enabling the Fair Housing Center to enlist top experts to provide the innovative and effective program information that has become the standard for the event. We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to our sponsors, speakers and participants!!

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Featuring a Keynote address by Dr. Okianer Christian Dark, professor at Howard University School of Law. Dr. Dark is well known to the fair housing community for her work within the U.S. Attorney's Office in Portland, Oregon where, in addition to other duties, she was responsible for affirmative civil rights litigation in the district of Oregon which which included the Fair Housing and Americans with Disabilities Acts.

Some significant cases that Dr. Dark has handled include a sexual harassment housing case involving eight low-income women who lived in a downtown Portland hotel which resulted in the largest settlement for that type of case in Oregon. She handled a fair housing case based on family status discrimination in a large mobile home park in Oregon on behalf of two families and a Fair Housing Organization which also resulted in the largest settlement for that type of case in Oregon. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, she successfully established that a sign language interpreter must be provided for a patient's partner in a private physician's office.

Dr. Dark is the recipient of numerous awards, including three Special Achievement Awards in recognition of her achievements at the Department of Justice. In the field of Fair Housing she received a National Fair Housing Alliance's Awards for Excellence and a Hope for People Award from Hope Fair Housing. For more information visit Dr. Dark's web page.

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THE WORKSHOPS: 8:45 – 11:45 a.m.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE:
HOW DOES WEST MICHIGAN WANT TO GROW?
Moderator: Jose Reyna, City of Grand Rapids, FHC Board Member
This workshop included Land Use issues and the use of public housing subsidies and the use of tax credits in inner cities. Panelists:
- Dr. Soji Adelaja (Michigan State University John A. Hannah Distinguished Chair in Land Policy and Director – Land Policy Program)
- Jay Hoekstra (Senior Planner, Grand Valley Metro Council)
- Dave Bee (Director, West Michigan Regional Planning Commission)
- Suzanne Schulz (Planner II, City of Grand Rapids)

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE:
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS & UNIVERSAL DESIGN
Moderator: Doretha Ardoin, Coldwell Banker, FHC Board Member
This workshop discussed elements of universal design as well as recent accommodation cases. Panelists:
- Michael Allen (Senior Staff Attorney, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law)
- Rich Kogelschatz (Heartland Builders LLC & Vice Chairman of the Lifetime Design Committee)
- Bill Milzarski (Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns)
- Judith Williams (Project Independence Coordinator, Disability Advocates)
- Margo Zwald (Access Coordinator, Disability Advocates)

JUSTICE FOR THE FUTURE:
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF HOUSING DISCRIMIATION
Moderator: Tonya Willingham (Program Manager, Fair Housing Center of Greater Grand Rapids) This workshop focused on the state of Fair Housing issues today in light of the current political climate. Panelists:
- Cathy Cloud (Vice President, National Fair Housing Alliance)
- Okianer Christian Dark (Professor, Howard University School of Law)
- Wendy Furth (Realtor, RE/MAX Olson & Associates)
- Steven Paikin (HUD Detroit Office, Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity)

PERSPECTIVES ON DIVERSITY IN MORTGAGE LENDING:
Held in partnership with Fannie Mae. This workshop, facilitated by Dale Dicks, Senior Project Manager in Fannie Mae’s Office of Diversity, helped participants see the connection between equitable lending and profitability and examine the ways diversity issues shape the lending process. Participants are better able to understand the relationship between perceptions and decision making in the loan process as well as explore new ways to impact and profit from new market growth.

LUNCHEON KEYNOTE: 11:45 - 1:30 p.m.
Dr. Okianer Christian Dark, professor at Howard University School of Law

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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