April is National Fair Housing Month!

Realtors® Committed to Fair Housing Throughout the Year

Apr 1st, 2011 by NAR

Washington, DC - April 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) — The National Association of Realtors® will join Americans across the country as they honor Fair Housing Month this April. As the leading advocate for home ownership, NAR strongly supports the Fair Housing Act and believes that anyone who is able and willing to assume the responsibilities of owning a home should have the opportunity to pursue that dream.

States' Budget Woes Affect Those with Mental Disabilities

In this recession, in order to close historic budget gaps states have cut $2.1 billion from their mental health budgets in the last three fiscal years, according to a study from the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors’ Research Institute. A new study from the National Alliance on Mental Illness finds that between fiscal years 2009 and 2011, over 12 states and the District of Columbia reduced their mental health budgets by more than 10 percent. The upcoming budgets, however, will be worse. Until this summer, federal stimulus money - which ends this summer - has put $103 billion into the states through Medicaid since 2009 - keeping state-run health insurance programs alive. Meanwhile, growing demands for help show few signs of abating, say mental health authorities. On top of this, there is more demand for the shrinking pool of public services because of unemployment and general economic malaise. "The safety net,” says Marylou Sudders, former Massachusetts commissioner for mental health, “is shredded.”

These cuts hurt those with mental disabilities worse than others. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, while ailments like depression occur in about one in four adults, 6% of the U.S. population has a serious mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia or bipolar disorder) and mental illness is the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada. People with severe mental illnesses are more likely to have low incomes because their education was interrupted by the disease, according to Elaine Alfano, deputy policy director for the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. Employers are hesitant to hire them and their treatment is expensive, so they cost governments dearly if they qualify for public support.

According to the state directors’ survey in fiscal 2010 and 2011, half the states reported reducing the number of hospital beds in state-run psychiatric hospitals. States have limited the funding they give to out-patient providers and have cut staff. One-third of states have reduced the number of people their programs serve.

Read the March 9, 2011 Center for Public Integrity article: http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/3006/.

Upcoming Calendar

April 8-9 - John Marshall Law School "Investigating and Resolving Fair Housing Cases" (Chicago, IL).


April 9 - Howard County Housing Fair - Howard County Housing will host the “Come Home to Howard County” Housing Fair on Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Long Reach High School, 6101 Old Dobbin Lane in Columbia. The event is free and open to the public. For registration: http://www.howardcountyhousing.com/2010/12/the-5th-annual-howard-county-housing-fair/.

April 11 - BNI's 2nd Annual Fair Housing & Landlord Tenant Boot Camp.

April 8 - Third Annual Veterans' Legal Assistance Conference - 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. University of Maryland School of Law, 500 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore 21202.


April 14 - 10th Annual Frederick County Fair Housing Conference. Location: The City of Frederick Municipal Annex Building located at 140 West Patrick Street. Sponsored by the Frederick County Fair Housing Commission and the Frederick County Association of Realtors. Info: Eileen Barnhard, Community Development Housing Financial Specialist for the City of Frederick at 301.600.2842 or ebarnhard@cityoffrederick.com.


April 26 - Baltimore County Human Relations Commission Fair Housing Conference, Randallstown, Maryland. Info: 410-887-5917.


June 4-7 - National Fair Housing Alliance National Conference (Washington, DC)


July 21-23 - Listening and Spoken Language Symposium - Thhe AG Bell 2011 Listening & Spoken Language Symposium will be held at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C.


September 9-10 - John Marshall Law School 2011 National Conference (Chicago, IL).

Paralyzed Veterans Sues Hunt Corporation for Housing Discrimination, Maryland Complexes Included

The real estate developer has been accused of Fair Housing Act violations in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina apartment complexes. The suit was filed by the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) against the HHHunt Corporation, and is based on the joint investigation by Paralyzed Veterans and NFHA of several of HHHunt's properties in North Carolina and South Carolina, and properties in Maryland and Virginia. The Fair Housing Act's design and construction accessibility requirements require that apartment and condominium complexes contain seven basic accessibility features so that they are useable by people with disabilities. The Maryland complex is Abberly Crest in Lexington Park.

The lawsuit alleges that since at least 2002, the HHHunt Corporation has engaged in a continuous pattern or practice of discrimination by designing and constructing multifamily dwellings, and common- and public-use areas, without those required accessibility features. Cited problems included: "primary entry doors with thresholds that are too high; large steps blocking routes to entry doors; hazardously steep sidewalk slopes; accessible parking without the required access aisle for people with mobility impairments to leave or enter their parked vehicles; and kitchens and bathrooms with insufficient maneuvering space for wheelchair users at sinks and toilets."

Read the March 15, 2011 article: http://www.nationalfairhousing.org/.

Racial Profiling Alleged in Illinois

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (http://icirr.org/) has requested the DOJ to investigate racial profiling at the McHenry County, Illinois, sheriff's office. The Northwest Herald reports that the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights asked the civil division of the U.S. Department of Justice for an investigation. The group wants to know if the department is incorrectly listing the race of Latinos on tickets. Coalition director Joshua Hoyt says more Latinos are stopped and are being systematically misclassified. An attorney for the sheriff's office said, "Racial profiling, such as pulling people over because they are Latino, is a serious accusation." (http://icirr.org/en/node/5322)

The ICIRR recently "celebrated with religious, civil rights and immigrant leaders the defeat of 10 anti-immigrant bills recently introduced in the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives. Due to Congressional failure to pass immigration reform, many states, including Illinois, have introduced legislation that would impact the lives of immigrants. Participants thanked State Rep. Greg Harris, who is the Chair of the Human Services Committee and responsible for stopping these bills to pass his committee. “By blocking these hate bills we are affirming that Illinois is home,” said State Representative Greg Harris (D-13). 'We are showing that our state is not Arizona and that Illinoisans don’t buy in the politics of hate.'"

The ICIRR is "dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society. In partnership with its member organizations, ICIRR educates and organizes immigrant and refugee communities to assert their rights; promotes citizenship and civic participation; monitors, analyzes, and advocates on immigrant-related issues; and, informs the general public about the contributions of immigrants and refugees."

Read the March 31, 2011 Northwest Herald article: http://www.nwherald.com/2011/03/31/group-seeks-racial-profiling-investigation/a4kqz32/.

Higher Discriminatory Rents for Tenants with Health/Therapy Dogs

A North Dakota federal judge has refused to throw out a lawsuit claiming discrimination against a Fargo property manager. Fair Housing of the Dakotas, a nonprofit advocacy group (which was closed in 2010-2011 because of lack of funding), accuses Goldmark Property Management of a "pattern of discrimination" in charging tenants higher rents and assessing fees. Fair Housing says Goldmark illegally charged tenants extra for keeping dogs they needed for their health or therapy. It seems pretty clear this is a reasonable accommodation. Read the April 1, 2011 Greenfield Reporter article: http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/cff8e58d72954c77a8b85d0625f49899/ND--Housing-Lawsuit/.

Great Place for Fair Housing News

The National Fair Housing Advocate's website has some breaking news, legal research, tools, links, etc. It's worth a view: http://www.fairhousing.com/.