Showing posts with label rights. Show all posts

Monday, September 16, 2024

Economic Action Maryland Annual Awards Ceremony is November 7th

Thursday, November 7, 2024

5:30 p.m. EST - 8:30 p.m. EST

The Baltimore Museum of Industry

1415 Key Hwy

Baltimore, MD 21230

Economic Action Maryland works to expand economic rights and financial inclusion in Maryland. Its Awards Celebration brings together community, policy, and government leaders working to advance consumer protections and economic justice in Maryland. The Awards Celebration honors our economic action champions, enjoy good food and good drinks, and relish in the company of your compatriots.

Join us on Thursday, November 7 from 5:30-8:30 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry for the Annual Awards Celebration! We will be celebrating our economic rights leaders, community champions, and the gains we’ve made in 2024. Make sure to buy your ticket now – Early bird pricing ends TODAY!

At this year’s ceremony, we are thrilled to present the Consumer Advocate Award of the Year Award to CASA Maryland for their work on the Access to Care Act and the Tenant Safety Act, alongside their critical direct services for their community members. CASA Maryland is an immigration advocacy and assistance organization serving thousands of people across the state. For decades, CASA has been advocating for legislative change in the Maryland General Assembly. CASA's policy team works to ensure that immigrant voices as well as the voices of working class people are heard and amplified in Annapolis.

On top of that, CASA provides crucial direct services to members of the immigrant community in Maryland, from citizenship education and interview preparation, to tax preparation, to providing employment through partnerships. Recently, CASA worked to raise funds for the families of the victims of the Key Bridge collapse, all of whom were immigrants from Latin America. For all of these reasons, we could not think of an organization more deserving of this award.

Please join us as we honor their accomplishments while enjoying delicious food and drink at our Annual Awards Ceremony! Click here to buy a ticket, or click here if you would like to sponsor the event.

Economic Action Maryland

2209 Maryland Ave | Baltimore, Maryland 21218

(410) 220-0494 | info@econaction.org

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Fair Housing Enforcement News:

HUD CHARGES CALIFORNIA LANDLORD WITH SEXUAL HARASSMENT & DISCRIMINATION

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has charged the owner, property manager, and maintenance worker of a single-family property in Bakersfield, California, with sexually harassing a female tenant and retaliating against her when she complained about it, in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Read HUD’s Charge. The Act prohibits housing providers from discriminating because of sex, including sexual harassment - unwelcome sexual advances and comments, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical behavior that is sexual in nature.

HUD’s Charge of Discrimination alleges that the maintenance worker harassed the tenant because of her sex, including daily sending her graphic sexual text messages and groping her in her home. After the tenant told him that the conduct was unwelcome and complained to the property manager, saying she planned to go to the police, the landlord allegedly refused to make critical repairs to her heating appliance, leaving her without heat and gas for a month. The tenant's daughter fell ill from the lack of heat. As the tenant was vacating her home, the landlord changed the lock on her door to prevent her from getting her belongings and refused to return her security deposit.

A U. S. Administrative Law Judge will hear HUD’s charge unless any party elects to have the case heard in federal district court. If an administrative law judge finds, after a hearing, that discrimination has occurred, the judge may award damages to the tenant for losses as a result of the discrimination. The judge may also order injunctive relief and other equitable relief, to deter further discrimination, as well as payment of attorney fees. The judge also may impose civil penalties. If the federal court hears the case, the judge may also award punitive damages.

People who believe they are the victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at (800) 669-9777 (voice) 800-927-9275 (TTY) or the Department of Justice at (800) 896-7743 or 202-514-4713. Additional information is available at www.hud.gov/fairhousing and www.justice.gov.

Read the July 11, 2023 HUD release.