Calendar: 

Upcoming Fair Housing Events 

 

Fast Track To HUD Housing Counsellor Certification

June 26 – June 30, 9 pm - 6 pm ET

Preparing for the HUD Housing Counseling Exam can be daunting when tackling it on your own. Research shows that working together in a collaborative environment allows individuals to learn the material better than when working alone. Join other housing counselors in this virtual experience where peer discussion, exploration of the six core topics on the exam, and interactive activities will stimulate all learning styles. [Register here]

 

Remaking the Economy: Tenant Organizing In Unexpected Places

July 12, 2 pm - 3:30 pm ET

Spurred in part by COVID and by a growing housing affordability crisis, tenant organizing is picking up in not just expected places like New York, but in mid-sized cities like Austin and Baltimore, and even smaller cities like Louisville, Kentucky, and Portland, Maine. In this 90-minute webinar, cosponsored and co-moderated by NPQ and Shelterforce, tenant activists will share their stories, both in direct organizing and policy advocacy. [Register here]

 

New American Leadership Institute MIMA Opportunity: NALI

Leadership Training Opportunity! MIMA returns with our third annual New American Leadership Institute!  This is a fantastic opportunity for emerging immigrant and refugee leaders to learn more about local governance, develop leadership skills, and create connections with peers. If you are interested in NALI, or know someone who is, please apply here! All four free sessions will be offered in person and the final session will be include closing remarks from Mayor Brandon Scott.  Applications are due on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. Want to stay updated with the latest information and resources for our immigrant and refugee communities? Follow MIMA on Facebook and Instagram! To sign up to receive our monthly update via email or suggest announcements to include, please contact mima@baltimorecity.gov. Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs 100 N. Holliday Street, Room 250 Baltimore, MD 21202 410-396-8056

 Economic Action Maryland June 29th Celebration Honors:  

Brian Frosh to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award from Economic Action Maryland

Economic Action Maryland (EAM) has announced that former Attorney General Brian Frosh will receive our Lifetime Achievement Award for his continued commitment to consumer protections and decades of good work on behalf of working families across Maryland. 

EAM will hold a celebration on June 29th  5:30-8:30 p.m. at the BWI Airport Marriott, 1743 W Nursery Road, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090 to celebrate our economic action champions, enjoy good food and good drinks, and renew our commitment to building an economy that works for all.  There is still time to claim your seat at the table and join us at our Awards Ceremony and Night of Celebration. The Keynote address will be by Lisa Snowden, Editor-in-Chief and Cofounder of Baltimore Beat. Read her biography.

Click here to get tickets.

Awardees are:

• Chris Van Hollen, U.S. Maryland Senator - Federal Champion of the Year Award.
• Brian Frosh, Maryland Attorney General - Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Will Smith, State Senator District 20 - Legislative Achievement of the Year Award.
• David Moon, State Delegate District 20 - Legislative Achievement of the Year Award.
• Lorig Charkoudian, State Delegate District 20 -Consumer Advocate of the Year Award.
• Stephanie Smith, State Delegate District 45 - Housing Advocate of the Year Award.
• Bank Of America & Baybrook Coalition - Community Partnership Award.

Sponsors and individuals who bought tickets for the event in November can use the discount code “RENEW” to redeem your tickets. If you didn’t get a chance to buy a ticket last time, don’t miss out now. Ticket sales will run until June 26th.

For more information about EAM: info@econaction.org.

Economic Action Maryland

2209 Maryland Ave.

Baltimore, MD 21218

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

 Free Public Celebration: 

June 24th Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition Meeting to Celebrate Red Line Cancellation

The Harbor venue and its bathrooms are wheelchair accessible. Please email btec.moretransitequity@gmail.com for questions.

Click here for map and to RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/save-the-date-2023-commemoration-of-the-red-line-june-24th?clear_id=true&source=email-save-the-date-june-24th-in-the-harbor-with-btec.

For more information: btec.moretransitequity@gmail.com.

 Housing Discrimination in Georgia: 

Cartersville, Georgia Motel Manager Pleads Guilty to Coercing Labor and Sex Acts by Female Tenant

According to court documents, the 70 year-old manager of the Budgetel Motel hired her as a house cleaner, knowing that she had been homeless, struggled with heroin addiction, and lost child custody. He promised that he would help her regain custody of her child by providing her pay, an apartment, and an attorney. Instead, he monitored her interactions with motel guests and employees, forbade her from speaking to them, and made numerous sexual overtures. He threatened to evict her from the room and threatened to report her drug use to law enforcement or child welfare agencies. He regularly “evicted” her from her motel room, locked her out of her room at night without warning, and required her to perform oral sex on him to stay at the motel. If she did not, Tiwari removed her from the property, causing her to be homeless. 

Sentencing is set for September 6, and the man faces a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As part of his plea agreement, he agreed to pay just over $40,000 in restitution to his victims. 

A federal judge will determine any sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

Read the June 1, 2023 USDOJ release.

 Discrimination in Rental Housing

Property Management Company to Pay Nearly $75,000 to Resolve Service Members Civil Relief Act Claims

The U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) has announced that FPI Management Inc. (FPI) has agreed to pay $74,087 to resolve allegations that it violated the Service Members Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by imposing unlawful charges on nine service members who were exercising their right to terminate their apartment leases after receiving military orders to relocate. The SCRA extends various protections to service members to allow them to devote their entire energy to the national defense, including protections for service members in areas such as evictions, security deposits, pre-paid rent, civil judicial proceedings, installment contracts, interest rates, foreclosures and automobile leases; and allowance to terminate their residential leases after entering military service or receiving military orders for a permanent change of station, deployment or retirement. Landlords are prohibited from imposing an early termination charge on service members who terminate their leases under the SCRA.

The USDOJ started investigating FPI’s leasing practices after receiving a referral from Coast Guard Legal Assistance about two times where FPI attempted to require service members who were terminating their leases early under the SCRA to repay discounts they had received when they signed the lease in Oakland, California. Under the consent order, FPI has agreed to pay $51,587 to the service members and a $22,500 civil penalty. The order also requires FPI to repair the service members’ tenant database entries, implement new policies and procedures complying with the SCRA, and train employees on the SCRA. 

Service members and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations: legalassistance.law.af.mil. 

Read the June 13, 2023 USDOJ release.

 Recent Fair Housing News: 

HUD Announces $837.5 Million from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to Improve Housing Quality and Reduce Energy Costs for Underserved Communities

The May 11, 2023 NOFA provides new funding from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and $4 billion in loan commitment authority will make HUD-assisted multifamily housing more energy efficient, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and improve climate resiliency. The availability of new funding through the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the energy and water efficiency and climate resilience of HUD-assisted multifamily properties serving low-income residents. 

The Act provided HUD with $837.5 million in grant and loan subsidy funding, $4 billion in loan commitment authority for this new program, and $42.5 million for a new HUD initiative launching later this summer to collect and assess energy and water usage data from HUD-assisted multifamily housing properties to better target opportunities to save energy and water, cut costs, and reduce emissions. Building owners will be able to invest in technologies, such as solar panels, heat pumps, wind-resistant roofing, insulation, low embodied carbon materials, and other measures that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make properties healthier and safer for residents. 

Read the May 11, 2023 HUD release.