April 13, 2021

A Covert Crisis: Violence, Discrimination, and Civil Rights Issues facing Asian Americans Wednesday, April 21, 2021 12pm to 2pm Register at mccr.events/ACovertCrisis This event is free and open to the public This educational presentation and Q&A session will provide participants with information on: Histories of oppression and subjugation of Asian Americans. The intersection of race and gender as it pertains to stereotypical perceptions of Asian women and resultant fetishization and violence. Strategies for equity and progress at the institutional level (employment, housing, and public spaces) and in society. This program is presented by the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR) and supported by the Committee Opposed to Violence and Extremism (COVE).

About the Presenter: Janet Namkung (She/They) Janet is an active leader who is passionate about social and restorative justice through capacity-building. During the day, you can find them at the Management Center (TMC) helping social justice leaders learn how to build and run organizations effectively, equitably, and sustainably. Outside of TMC, Janet volunteers with the Total Liberation Collective (TLC) - dedicated to the abolition of all structures of oppression that impede total liberation by focusing on mutual aid and education. They also lead a creative and mental health nonprofit called Asians* in Focus, which they co-founded with a group of passionate Asian American Womxn. Janet began their career in nonprofits advocating for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Janet worked on national issues such as immigration, civic engagement, the census, education, and mental health. Janet previously worked with OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, Council of Korean Americans, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Janet served as a Commissioner on Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Community Development, on the Board of Directors of the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership, and as Chair of the DC Chapter of Service Year & AmeriCorps Alums. Janet received a B.A. in Psychology from Ramapo College of New Jersey. Janet is a proud New Yorker, daughter of Korean American immigrants, and a lover of food vacations. Janet currently lives in D.C. with their partner, Jae, and their 3-legged hamster, Ssamjang.

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STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION PASSES IMPORTANT FAIR HOUSING AND TENANT PROTECTION BILLS - BUT NOT EVICTION PREVENTION

Fair Housing and tenant protections were among a number of bills passed by the state legislature during 2021. The most relevant for Fair Housing issues are:

1. Maryland DHCD Added Fair Housing Work - HB90/SB687, legislation, sponsored by Del. Brooke Lierman and Sen. Will Smith, requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to demonstrate actions to increase fair housing in their counties and support nonprofit and other organizations devoted to fair housing. Specifically, this bill: (a) requires the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to administer its programs and activities to “affirmatively further fair housing;” (b) establishes that local jurisdictions have a duty to affirmatively further fair housing; (c) requires DHCD to submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly on, among other things, efforts by specified units of State and local government to promote fair housing, as specified; and (d) establishes provisions relating to the inclusion of assessments of fair housing in local comprehensive plans. The Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) and DHCD must provide specified technical assistance upon request. Read the General Assembly legislation summary.

2. Tenant Screening Report Instead of Credit Check - HB861/SB691 sponsored by Del. Julie Palakovich-Carr and Sen. Shelly Hettleman assists low-income tenants by establishing a reusable tenant screening report which a prospective tenant pays for and provide to landlords that are willing to accept these reports in lieu of requiring prospective renters to pay multiple times for a credit check by a landlord. The reusable tenant screening report will save struggling tenants hundreds of dollars. Read the legislative summary.

3. Right to Attorney in Eviction Cases - HB18/SB154 will help prevent disruptive displacement of residents from their homes by ensuring that low-income tenants have the right to an attorney in eviction cases. Legal representation matters; when renters have counsel it results in less evictions because people with legitimate defenses are more successful in asserting them. This legislation, sponsored by Del. Wanika Fisher and Sen. Shelly Hettleman, will save many families from losing their homes. Read the legislative summary.

4. Health Equity Resource Communities - HB463 which decreases health inequities through the creation and funding of Health Equity Resource Communities. This requires the Community Health Resources Commission to designate certain areas as Health Equity Resource Communities to target State resources toward reducing health disparities, improving health outcomes and access to primary care, and reducing health care costs.

5. Elimination of Imprisonment for License Revocation - SB20 eliminates imprisonment as a possible penalty for a person convicted of displaying a canceled, revoked, or suspended license and reduces the points assessed for these violations.

6. The Transit Safety and Investment Act - (HB114/SB199) increases economic mobility by ensuring access to safe and reliable public transportation. This bill: (a) alters and extends (by seven years) provisions of the Maryland Metro/Transit Funding Act (Chapters 351 and 352 of 2018) that require increased operating and capital spending for the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA); (b) establishes minimum required funding levels for MTA’s operating and capital spending, as specified; (c) the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) must conduct a Western Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) rail extension study, as specified; (d) establishes a Purple Line Construction Zone Grant Program in the Department of Commerce. 

Unfortunately, some bills that were important to Fair Housing did not pass, such as HB26 which would expand protections for student borrowers with private loans and HB848 which would end debtors prisons for consumer debts in Maryland. Critically, the legislature did not pass important anti-eviction measures such as HB52/SB454 which would advance effective methods of diverting evictions, HB31 which would prevent serial eviction filings, and HB1312/SB910 would end pandemic related evictions.

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Source: Maryland Coalition for Consumer Rights, 2021 Legislative Wrap-Up, April 12, 2021.

 HUD COMMEMORATES NATIONAL FAIR HOUSING MONTH 2021

 

Click here to watch Secretary Fudge’s video statement on Fair Housing Month.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today kicked off Fair Housing Month 2021. This year’s Fair Housing Month theme, Fair Housing: More Than Just Words, reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advancing equity in housing and the importance of increasing public awareness of everyone’s right to fair housing. 

“Fair Housing Month is a time to recommit to our nation’s obligation to ensure that everyone has equal access to safe, affordable housing,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “Unfortunately, housing discrimination still exists, from individuals and families being denied a place to call home because of the color of their skin or where they come from, to landlords refusing to allow persons with disabilities to keep assistance animals, to individuals being denied a place to live because of who they love. In this moment of unprecedented crisis, fair housing is more important than ever. 53 years after the Fair Housing Act was signed, our journey to justice in housing continues.”

Each April, HUD, local communities, fair housing advocates, and fair housing organizations across the country commemorate Fair Housing Month by hosting an array of activities that highlight HUD's fair housing enforcement efforts, enhance Americans’ awareness of their fair housing rights, and emphasize the importance of ending housing discrimination.

Secretary Fudge will commemorate Fair Housing Month with a virtual celebration on April 7th at 2 p.m. Eastern time that will also feature the Justice Department’s Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Pamela Karlan; HUD’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Jeanine Worden; and HUD Senior Advisor Alanna McCargo.  

In addition to highlighting HUD’s enforcement activities, a central focus of this year’s commemoration with the Biden-Harris Administration’s pledge to end housing discrimination, provide redress to those who have experienced housing discrimination, to eliminate racial bias and other forms of discrimination in all stages of home-buying and renting, and to secure equal access to housing opportunity for all.

Last year, HUD and its Fair Housing Assistance Program partner agencies received more than 7,700 complaints alleging discrimination based on one or more of the Fair Housing Act's seven protected classes: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, and disability. During that period, the categories with the highest number of complaints were disability and race, respectively. HUD also received complaints that alleged lending discrimination as well as numerous complaints from women who faced unfair treatment, including sexual harassment.

"Although the Fair Housing Act became law in 1968, we still have major challenges ahead of us,” said Jeanine Worden, HUD’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “This April, on the 53rd anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, HUD is renewing its commitment to level the playing field so every person has the same opportunity to live where they choose and benefit from all of the opportunities this nation offers.”

For a listing of HUD Fair Housing Month events and activities, go to: www.hud.gov/FHM2021.

People who believe they have experienced discrimination may file a complaint by contacting HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (Relay). Housing discrimination complaints may also be filed by going to hud.gov/fair housing.

HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and http://espanol.hud.gov. You can also connect with HUD on social media  or sign up for news alerts on HUD's Email List.

You can follow Secretary Fudge on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Source: HUD press release, April 1, 2021.

MARYLAND ENFORCEMENT DATA SHOWS INCREASE IN HOUSING DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINTS

The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR) recently released their annual report detailing their fair housing enforcement efforts. Read the 2020 MCCR Annual Report. MCCR reports that in 2020, they received 128 complaints of housing discrimination from Marylanders. This is a 37.6% increase from the 93 in 2019. Some 82.0% of these complaints (or 105) were from people who have a disability. A total of 53 of the complaints were based on race, with 91% of those from Black Marylanders. 

The National Fair Housing Alliance has also released a report on U.S. Fair Housing Trends in 2020. They found that there were 28,880 fair housing complaints in the U.S. in 2019, a slight decrease. There were 17,010  complaint cases (58.9%) that involved discrimination against a person with a disability, now probably "the easiest to detect, as it most often takes place as an overt denial of a request for a reasonable accommodation or modification to the housing unit. The second most reported type of housing was discrimination on the basis of race with 4,757 (16.5%) cases, followed by familial status as the basis for discrimination in 2,228 (7.7%) cases; sex discrimination with 1,948 complaints (6.8%); national origin 1,730 (6.0%) cases; color with 646 (2.2%) cases; and religion the basis of 328 (1.1%) cases.

The Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition observes that "while Maryland makes up 1.84% of the US population, our fair housing complaints are just 0.32% of the complaints made nationwide. This low number of complaints, taken in concert with the pervasive segregation of housing in the Baltimore region and ample anecdotal evidence of discrimination, suggests that Marylanders are not reporting discrimination when they experience it."

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Sources:

Maryland Commission on Civil Rights 2020 Annual Report. 

National Fair Housing Alliance report on U.S. Fair Housing Trends in 2020.

Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition Member Newsletter, April 2, 2021.

Katharine R. Stierhoff, County Housing Activist and League of Women Voters Leader, 91

In the early 1960s, Stierhoff became an advocate of women’s issues and believed in the power of the vote. She joined the newly created Baltimore County League of Women Voters’ board in 1966. Her son was quoted as saying “Housing was very important to her. She wanted housing affordable for people of less means.”

Her sons said she was instrumental in establishing the first office for the Baltimore County League of Women Voters in Towson and managed that office for many years. She organized volunteers and disseminated information to the membership and broader community. She also worked on annual voters’ guides. Stierhoff also served on the board of what is now called the Community Assistance Network as the league’s representative.

“My mother was not a loud advocate, but she was persistent,” said her son, Lee Stierhoff.

With the League of Women Voters, she became active in promoting affordable housing. “While serving as the League’s Housing Chair in the late ’80s, she worked to establish a livability code for Baltimore County and lobbied representatives to successfully pass affordable housing bond bills in 1992 and 1994,” her son Paul said. Mrs. Stierhoff also helped form the Baltimore County Housing Coalition and served as its vice president. “She was also instrumental in establishing the Fuel Fund of Central Maryland and served as a board member from 1980 to 1995,” her son Paul said.

Mrs. Stierhoff remained interested in fair and affordable housing issues and served on a Baltimore County advisory council working to eliminate discriminatory housing policies. She cited Baltimore County’s reluctance to address housing issues that went back decades. She said county residents held attitudes against housing for the poor for many years.

The family will hold a private ceremony to inter her ashes at the Church of the Good Shepherd, where she had been a member. A memorial service will be held at a later time.

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Source: The Baltimore Sun, March 31, 2021.

Camille Wheeler, Social Services Administrator & Community Activist, 80 

While attending Goucher, she learned about the consequences of racism and discrimination in the era of civil rights involvement. She returned to Baltimore and joined the old Baltimore City Department of Public Welfare. She went on to be a caseworker, training specialist, and Hampden district manager. She worked under the city’s former social service director, Esther Lazarus. She also worked with former Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who was also been a social worker.

Wheeler became the director of the Baltimore County Department of Social Services in 1979 and remained in that position until being forced into retirement after clashing in 1998 with County Executive C. A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger. The newspaper’s editorial also said, “Ms. Wheeler’s competence and dedication is not in question. She is highly regarded by the Child Welfare League of America.”

”To know Camille was to respect and cherish her opinions, always rendered gently but based on deep understanding of whatever issues she was addressing,” said Ms. Schagrin, a fellow social worker. “She was self-effacing woman. Ms. Wheeler was not one for the limelight or attention despite her many accomplishments, and the impact she had on so many. She had strong views about the high quality of services. She made a requirement that her social workers had a master’s degree and a license. She felt our clients needed the best-trained and educated professionals.”

From 1998 to 2016, Wheeler taught social policy, management and community organization at her alma mater, the University of Maryland School of Social Work. 

She also served on many boards, including board memberships for the League of Women Voters, the Pro Bono Counseling Program, and the Greater Baltimore Community Housing Resource Board (the author of this blog).

We would like to thank Camille for her dedicated service to the community and to our organization.

A memorial service is being planned.

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Source: The Baltimore Sun, March 27, 2021.

 

New Study Finds 5 Ways Racist 1930s Housing Policies Still Hurt Schools

The new study, “The Lingering Legacy of Redlining on School Funding, Diversity, and Performance,” released by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University as a working paper, is by Christopher Cleveland and Dylan Lukes, both PhD candidates in education policy at Harvard University.

To make the connection, the researchers used mapping software to sync over 10,000 current-day school locations with New Deal-era lending maps from 144 cities in 38 states. The study examined schools in 144 residential areas. Each locale is represented by a dot on the map. The researchers compared how schools and districts from redlined areas stacked up against schools in neighborhoods that, 80 years ago, mapmakers had viewed more favorably. Here’s what they found:

1. Schools in redlined areas face stark funding disparities compared to schools in areas rated more favorably. On average, they spend nearly $2,500 less per pupil than schools in top-rated zones, and over $3,000 less than schools in neighborhoods rated second-tier.

2.  Schools in redlined areas were less likely to have diverse student bodies, tending instead to have higher percentages of Black, Hispanic and Asian students. While schools in neighborhoods the New Deal-era lending program rated as more “desirable” averaged more white students, they also tended to have a greater racial mixture in their classrooms.

3. Achievement gaps are parallel to the funding and diversity disparities. “We saw pretty stark differences” in test results, said Lukes. “The average is lower for [redlined] schools,” added Cleveland. The researchers analyzed year-to-year learning rates to estimate whether schools from redlined areas were making up ground. Rates were even across groups, they found, meaning that gaps appear set to stay in place.

4. Though funding gaps between schools in redlined versus non-redlined areas have remained persistent, money from the federal and state levels has helped make up some of that ground. Because of state funding formulas and federal programs like Title I, redlined schools tend to receive more federal and state money than schools in other zones.

5. The researchers recommend changes to more equitably deal with the consequences of the historical disparities. One possibly is to re-examine the relationship between school funding and property taxes. “There might be a chance to separate housing from (education) funding, in recognizing that certain schools are located in places where it’ll take a long time for them to get additional dollars” through local taxes," said one author.

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Source: Lehrer-Small, Asher. "New Study: 5 Ways Racist 1930s Housing Policies Still Haunt Schools." The 74. March 22, 2021.