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Programs
The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan provides programs and benefits
that meet the needs of and enhance the lives of west Michigan’s
citizens. These benefits include education and outreach provided to the
housing industry and consumers, enforcement program activities, and an
annual luncheon and educational workshop series.
Enforcement:
The
FHC conducts investigations and testing of complaints of discrimination.
Fair housing groups are essentially the only groups with the capacity
to test complaints. Private fair housing organizations process almost
70 percent of the nation’s fair housing complaints. Among its enforcement-oriented
activities, the FHC’s top priority is to assist home seekers in
the investigation and resolution of complaints of illegal housing discriminations
through the use of comparison testing,
cooperation with enforcement agencies and litigation. In addition to actual
complaints, the Center actively monitors the nature and extent of existing
housing discrimination through periodic market surveys. Information obtained
is often used as evidence to support independent complaint actions with
appropriate authorities. FHC maintains a pool of over 150 testers and
dedicated volunteers who assist in fair housing enforcement activities.
Education alone has not been enough to end housing discrimination and
enforcement activities continue to serve as the greatest tool for compliance
with fair housing laws. During 2004, FHC staff opened 136 cases for investigation
and conducted over 500 tests. Consistent with past years, evidence of
discrimination was found in over a third of the tests conducted. The FHC
works with the claimants to help them pursue their cases administratively
and legally. When evidence is found, either the claimant or the FHC pursues
the case in court. The goal of litigation and enforcement is to change
discriminatory policies and provide education so that it does not happen
again.
Education
and Outreach:
Currently, the FHC’s education and outreach programs reach hundreds
of people with valuable information on their rights and responsibilities
under federal, state and local fair housing laws each year. The
Center also provides technical advice to state
and local governments as to their responsibilities under the
relevant laws. The FHC also works with local governments to complete studies
required by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, including
but not limited to, Analysis of Impediments. The FHC also works with many
partners to identify discriminatory practices under fair housing law and
remedies to correct such practices. FHC
staff members provide fair housing presentations and seminars to many
different organizations and groups in the West Michigan area, reaching
over 500 individuals annually. The FHC has trained more than 2,000 sales
agents, rental agents, rental property owners and property managers. The
Center provides information and referral services to over 1,000 people
annually.
The
Center educates consumers and community members
about how to recognize and report housing discrimination by providing
information and referral services to callers with all types of housing
related inquiries. Such inquiries are commonly related to issues such
as housing subsidies or financial assistance, tenants’ rights, the
condition and repair of housing and other landlord-tenant concerns. When
callers with non-fair housing inquiries contact they Center, they are
given general information about the protections provided by the fair housing
laws and are then referred to an appropriate community group, government
agency or social service agency.
The
FHC works to further fair housing by providing information about compliance
with fair housing laws to every organization relative to housing. This
large group includes property managers, landlords,
mortgage lenders, mortgage brokers, realtors, developers, builders, homeowners’
insurance agents, government offices, city/township planners, commissioners,
zoning staff and advertisers. The FHC works with many groups
by specifically identifying their fair housing implications based on the
role they play in housing, thereby leading to fewer complaints and the
reduced likelihood of punitive damages in court. Many run into regulatory
barriers that close off markets to them and the FHC is able to help remove
them to open up the housing market. One such barrier is the lack of affordable
housing outside of the community. Currently, this disparately affects
families with children and minorities who are not able to move outside
of the city due to financial barriers.
The
Center has developed a training seminar exclusively for advertisers
and sales staff, helping them understand fair housing and
how it can be used as a tool to advance their business not only because
it is the right thing to do, but also because it is good
for business. The FHC is developing specialized training for other
segments of the housing industry. Contact
our office for more information or to schedule a training.
Annual
Luncheon and Workshop Series
For the last 19 years, the FHC has hosted an annual conference that highlights
important issues of housing opportunity by featuring nationally known
speakers along with content-rich workshops on a wide variety of fair housing
topics. Representatives from private and public housing industries, lenders,
government planners, officials and program staff, civil rights/disability
rights advocates, community development groups and human service agencies
addressed housing-related issues during the luncheon as well as in one
of three different half-day workshops.
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
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