LDF Reaches Settlement on Behalf of Housing Opportunities Made Equal (New York), Requiring Improved Training and New Practices to Prevent Housing Discrimination

 

Read a PDF of the Legal Defense Fund's statement here.

The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) has reached a settlement in Housing Opportunities Made Equal Inc. (HOME) v. Avant Realty – a lawsuit born out of HOME’s investigation into the company’s real estate practices. The lawsuit and settlement come after HOME alleged Avant Realty limited housing opportunities for Black residents of Buffalo, New York through racial steering, a discriminatory practice where real estate agents or brokers direct people seeking homes into specific neighborhoods based on their race. While investigating real estate agents in the Buffalo area, HOME found that Avant Realty treated Black people seeking homes differently than their white counterparts. LDF and HOME alleged Avant Realty’s practices violated the Fair Housing Act and New York State Human Rights Law.

As a result of the settlement, HOME will provide additional training to Avant Realty’s staff on fair housing laws and best practices to avoid racial steering. Avant Realty will also adopt a non-discrimination policy and has agreed to ongoing monitoring of its real estate practices by HOME.

“Housing Opportunities Made Equal (New York) is satisfied by the amicable resolution of this matter and looks forward to working with Avant Realty and other real estate firms to ensure compliance with fair housing laws,” said Daniel Corbitt, Associate Director of HOME. “In Western New York and throughout our state, homeownership offers an unparalleled opportunity to attain security, stability, and intergenerational wealth. However, significant racial disparities in homeownership persist. We all have a responsibility to eliminate racially discriminatory policies and practices in the residential real estate market, thereby creating a more vibrant and just community for everyone.”

“We are pleased to have reached a settlement with Avant Realty,” said Morenike Fajana, Senior Counsel at LDF. “At LDF, we know that where you live matters and impacts every aspect of your life – from access to good jobs and high-performing schools, to safe streets and access to quality health care. We are grateful to HOME for their years of service dedicated to fair housing, especially the work done to root out differential treatment that forces Black people into under-resourced neighborhoods and blocks them from economic opportunity. Today is a win for the Black residents of Buffalo.”

“While segregation remains an entrenched problem in the Buffalo region, today’s settlement is a step in the right direction,” said Elizabeth Caldwell, Assistant Counsel at LDF. “We are thankful to HOME for their commitment to fighting housing discrimination and their work to uncover and combat racial steering. LDF will continue to work alongside HOME and others to help families find suitable housing, free from discrimination.”

The LDF is the country’s first and foremost civil and human rights law firm. It was founded in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall, who subsequently became the first African-American U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

Read the April 4, 2025 LDF article.

More Buffalonians to be Protected from Housing Discrimination with New Legislation

 

Fair Housing law expansions were passed in April 2025 to guarantee protection for more citizens of Buffalo, New York, with minority status, according to a spokesperson with the Buffalo Common Council. The laws now cover those with disabilities, those apart of the LGBTQ+ community, those from other countries, and those who require housing vouchers or public assistance. Race, religion, and national identity are already protected by the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The legislation was passed on April 1st, the first day of National Fair Housing Month.

A recent study by the Partnership for the Public Good of Buffalo - A City Divided: A Brief Study of the History of Segregation in Buffalo - found that Buffalo-Niagara is one of the most racially segregated metropolitan regions in the nation. While racial segregation has declined slightly in recent years, economic segregation has increased, resulting in neighborhood conditions growing worse – not better – for most people of color in the area. The metro area itself is ranked sixth most segregated in the nation on the white-black index, and twenty-first most segregated on the white-Hispanic index (“Segregation Results from 2010,” Census Scope, March 18, 2012, http://censusscope.org/dev/content/segregation-results2010).

Redlining’s detrimental and exclusionary consequences remained prevalent in 2024, causing myriad health, environmental, housing, and economic disparities throughout Buffalo’s East Side (James Coughlin, "City of Redlined Neighbors: Redlining in Past and Present Buffalo," Peace Chronicle: The Magazine of the Peace and Justice Studies Association (Spring, 2024).

This critical legislation will give the City of Buffalo’s Fair Housing law teeth to ensure that everyone in Buffalo is treated equally when purchasing or renting a home,” said Fair Housing Officer Harold Cardwell, Jr. “The ability to find safe and sustainable housing of your choice is an inalienable human right.” Realtors and landlords in the city will be required to make “reasonable” accommodations for those with disabilities, including equal housing language and symbols. Exclusions will be removed for those who own fewer than 20 housing units and fines will be increased for first-time and repeat violations. More time will be given to resolve accusations.

“The ugly legacy of housing discrimination can be seen in cities across the nation, and we see its toxic aftermath in the disparities that impact black communities and low-income households here in the City of Buffalo,” said Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope. “With this legislation, we will help ensure that no Buffalonian is denied fair access to housing simply for being who they are.”

Read the April 16, 2025 Buffalo WIVB Channel 4 article.

Partnership for the Public Good