Saturday, April 23, 2022
Accessibility in Housing: Findings from the 2019 American Housing Survey
In a study by the SP Group LLC and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the biennial American Housing Survey (AHS), the stock of homes accessible to those with disabilities was examined. This was an augmented follow-up to the HUD 2011 AHS study that collected housing accessibility data, as some questions were added. Posted on March 17, 2022, the 30-page report discusses the findings from this module of housing accessibility questions.
The 2019 AHS data show that almost 2 in 10 U.S. households include a person with accessibility needs (i.e., households that include someone with a mobility-related disability; someone who uses a mobility-assistive device; someone with difficulty accessing their home; or someone who has difficulty accessing or using bedrooms, bathrooms, or kitchens). The majority of these households, however, live in homes that are not fully accessible - almost 4 in 10 do not have accessibility features such as entry-level bedrooms or full bathrooms. Only a very small percentage of owner households planned to install such features or to make accessibility-related improvements to their homes.
Specifically, the report also found that 13% of U.S. households include someone who uses a mobility-assistive device, and 19% of households include an individual with accessibility needs. Some 6% of households include someone who has difficulty entering the home, or accessing or using a kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom due to a condition.
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/Accessibility-in-Housing-Report.html
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Maryland Commission on Civil Rights'
Biennial Civil Rights & Fair Housing Gala Celebration
Her Story: Celebrating 100 Years of the Women's Right to Vote & Promoting Civil Rights
30 Years of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Saturday, August 20, 2022. 6:00pm until 10:00 pm
at the Maryland Live! Hotel Ballroom, 7002 Arundel Mills Circle #7777, Hanover, Maryland 21076.
After 2 years of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights is excited to announce that our Biennial Civil Rights & Fair Housing Gala Celebration has been rescheduled to Saturday, August 20, 2022, from 6:00pm to 10:00pm at the Maryland Live! Hotel Ballroom in Hanover, Maryland. Originally slated for Saturday, April 25, 2020, the Gala Celebration will honor the remarkable milestones commemorating 100 years of the women's right to vote, as well as 30 years of protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Our keynote speaker for the evening is civil rights icon and former Chairperson of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission Dr. Mary Frances Berry. During the program, we will also honor the work and lifetime achievements of 6 trailblazing women from Maryland. We look forward to seeing everyone there!
Ticket Purchasing Information: https://www.velocitypayment.com/client/maryland/mccr/index.html.
Interested in being a sponsor? Download our Sponsorship Kit here.
For Reasonable Accommodation Requests please contact: Rosina Garrett, Administrative Specialist: rosinay.garrett@maryland.gov no later than one week prior to the event.
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Source: Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, April 21, 2022.
Thursday, April 14, 2022
Fierce Urgency: Advancing Civil & Human Rights:
Virtual Event on April 25-27, 2022
VIRTUAL ECUMENICAL ADVOCACY DAYS TAKING PLACE APRIL 25-27, 2022
REGISTER FOR EAD 2022 | EVENT SCHEDULE
EAD 2022 calls us into solidarity to restore, protect, and expand voting rights in the United States and to realize human rights around the world. As people of faith, we know each person to be created in God’s image, imbued with dignity and having a voice that demands to be heard, heeded, and treated justly. We arise in unity, holding up a mirror to leaders of nations, putting injustice on display and tearing down the veil of oppression that obscures the beautiful, God-born light shining from within us all.
United States policymakers are citing election security to resurrect Jim Crow-era policies that restrict voting rights and further disenfranchise communities of color. States are withholding the right to vote from those with felony convictions, cruelly punishing them beyond the limits of a judge’s sentence. Smaller windows for early voting, reduced ability to vote by mail, and more restrictive ID rules make access to voting – a fundamental right – dependent on where you live. Our vote is our voice at the policy-making table; if a community isn’t represented at the ballot box, the issues affecting that community aren’t on the government’s agenda. This erasure of important voices shatters our national ideals and terminates the path to new creation envisioned by our faith.
We bear witness to a global increase in violent repression of journalists, activists, rights defenders, and social leaders. Political leaders around the world are using the pandemic as cover to boldly steal power and silence opposition through intimidation, torture, and murder. Our government is comfortably complicit in such abuses for economic gain and in the name of “national security,” but true security demands that human rights be protected everywhere. Those asserting the right to speak for their communities and shape policy should be free from fear for their lives. We are summoned by the Holy Spirit to act immediately in solidarity with the world, insisting on an end to repression and drawing attention to God’s image reflected in the rich diversity of humankind.
As we gather in 2022, we are called to reflect the urgency and determination found in Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words. In his Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence speech, he reminds us, “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late.” As people of faith, we are called to meet the challenges of this moment.
As such, we demand that the U.S. Congress enhance voting rights in the United States; outlaw all practices that limit Black and Indigenous people and other communities of color striving to fully exercise their right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”; withdraw U.S. assistance from militaries, police, and other forces that restrict civil space; and support actions around the world that aim to fulfill human rights for all.
At Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2022, we will unite to amplify our Christian voice in advocacy for civil and human rights in the United States and abroad. Won’t you join us?
“He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’ As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.'” (Luke 19:40-42 NRSV)
“[Loving as God does] is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11, NLT)
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Tuesday, April 5, 2022
MARYLAND COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS CELEBRATES APRIL
AS NATIONAL FAIR HOUSING MONTH
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The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights is presenting three events to celebrate this year's Fair Housing Month. For the Full Event Program: https://issuu.com/mccreo/docs/mccrfhm2022. Pre-Registration is preferred. The events are:
Event 1: What's in Your Wallet?
Examining Source of Income Discrimination and Disparities faced by Individuals Experiencing Homelessness and Housing Insecurity."
Virtual Presentation April 7, 2022 from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/whats-in-your-wallet-tickets-308956175237.
Event 2: The Shadow Pandemic: Examining Gender Inequality and Access to Housing In the Wake of COVID-19.
Kara N. Hunt, Ph.D. and Dr. LaTeri McFadden
In partnership with the Baltimore County Public Library.
Virtual Presentation April 14, 2022 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Register Here: https://bcpl.info/events-and-programs/list.html#!/register/198243.
Event 3: "Fair Housing, Disability and Reasonable Accommodations."
Glendora C. Hughes, General Counsel) Virtual Presentation April 27, 2022 from 12 p.m.-2 p.m.
Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fair-housing-disability-reasonable-accommodations-and-the-law-tickets-309007047397.
For Reasonable Accommodation Requests please contact: Rosina Garrett, Administrative Specialist: rosinay.garrett@maryland.gov no later than one week prior to the event.
If you feel you have been discriminated against, Maryland can help:
File a Complaint: https://mccr.maryland.gov/Pages/Intake.aspx.
April is Fair Housing Month
The Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition is celebrating the 54th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act with a virtual Know Your Rights training session every Thursday morning in April. Can’t make it at that time? A recording of the training will be available to all training registrants.
1. Thursday April 7, 11:00am - 12:00pm Know Your Rights: Fair Housing 101
This workshop reviews the basics of Fair Housing laws, including the protected classes in Maryland, examples of housing discrimination, and what to do if you think you’ve experienced illegal housing discrimination.
2. Thursday April 14, 2022 11:00am - 12:00pm Know Your Rights: Disability and Housing
As many as 20% of all Marylanders have a disability. The Fair Housing Act not only protects people with disabilities from housing discrimination, it also affords them additional housing rights. Learn about your right to accommodations and modifications, how to advocate for yourself, and what to do if your housing provider denies your request.
3. Thursday April 21, 2022 11:00am - 12:00pm Know Your Rights: The HOME Act
In 2020, Maryland expanded its fair housing laws by passing the HOME Act, which adds "source of income" as a protected class. This extends fair housing rights to people with government assistance like section 8 vouchers and eviction prevention funds, as well as others with non-wage income. Learn about your newest fair housing rights and how to report discrimination.
4. Thursday April 28, 2022 11:00am-12:30pm Know Your Rights: Fair Housing for Service Providers
This training is designed for case managers, housing counselors, and other services providers who work around housing or with members of protected classes. In this course, we will cover fair housing basics, disability rights, and the HOME Act with a focus on how to advocate for your clients’ rights.
We are also pleased to offer four free, virtual Fair Housing Compliance training sessions for housing providers throughout April! Click here to see all our April events.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter , share this alert, and join as a member or with a one-time donation to support our advocacy efforts.
Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, Inc.
2209 Maryland Ave | Baltimore, Maryland 21218
(410) 220-0494 | info@marylandconsumers.org
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