PRRAC Advocates Fairer Screening Rules for HUD-Assisted Housing

On June 10, 2024, the Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) submitted comments in support of HUD’s proposed rule to eliminate discriminatory uses of criminal records in screening tenants for admission to HUD-funded housing (89 Fed. Reg. 25332). PRRAC is a civil rights policy organization dedicated to the cause of fair housing, and the urgent need to address the continuing segregation of many low-income families of color in high poverty, low opportunity neighborhoods, a condition that is perpetuated by housing, land use, transportation, and education policies at every level of government.

PRRAC's comments included strong support for the elimination of the long-standing (and illegal) practice of re-screening voucher tenants who move from one public housing authority's "area of operation" to another PHA’s town. PRRAC also stressed the relationship of government-sponsored segregation and disproportionate policing and arrests in predominantly Black and Latino communities as a relevant fair housing consideration in HUD’s reassessment of the use of criminal records. 

A few weeks after HUD issued the proposed rule, HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity also issued helpful general guidance on fair housing impacts of some common, but often discriminatory, tenant screening practices.

The PRRAC also recently released an update of its "State, Local, and Federal Laws Barring Source-of-Income Discrimination (originally published as Appendix B to Expanding Choice: Practical Strategies for Building a Successful Housing Mobility Program, 2013), June 2024. According to the Center for Policy Alternatives’ calculations, at the time the original report was released, source of income discrimination laws protected 34% of voucher holders in the nation. With the addition of seven states since December, 2018 (New York, California, Colorado, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, and Illinois) and a number of new municipalities, the PRRAC now estimates that over 57% of voucher holders are now covered.

Read the PRRAC Source of Income Laws Report

Maryland Commission Commemorates 60th Anniversary of Civil Rights Act

 

PRESS RELEASE: Maryland Commission on Civil Rights Commemorates the 60th Anniversary of the Passage of Civil Rights Act.   Click on image to view

Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships

HOME      ABOUT MCCR      SERVICES      PUBLICATIONS      EVENTS      PRESS      CONTACT US

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson to Keynote at MD Commission's August 24th Civil Rights Celebration

 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS  Maryland Commission on Civil Rights is proud to announce its  Biennial Civil Rights & Fair Housing Gala Celebration Keynote Speaker  Michael Eric Dyson "Celebrating Milestones: Pivotal Moments in History" Saturday, August 24, 2024 6:00 pm until 10:00 pm at the The Hall at Live! Casino 7002 Arundel Mills Circle #7777 Hanover, Maryland 21076 The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights is excited to announce that our Biennial Civil Rights & Fair Housing Gala Celebration will be held on August 24, 2024, from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm at the Maryland Live! Hotel Ballroom in Hanover, Maryland. This year's theme is “Celebrating Milestones: Pivotal Moments in History.” In recent years, state and local organizations have achieved crucial milestones through their diversity in leadership. The values of cultural diversity and inclusiveness involve respect for and acceptance of different philosophies and values. By incorporating different cultures, we can inspire innovations and excellence in our lives, workplaces, communities, and the world. We look forward to seeing everyone there! Ticket Prices & Sponsorship Opportunities  Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships HOME      ABOUT MCCR      SERVICES      PUBLICATIONS      EVENTS      PRESS      CONTACT US

Baltimore Mayor and Police Commissioner Release Statements Condemning Recent Antisemitic Incidents

Mayor Brandon M. Scott and the Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley released the following statements condemning recent antisemitic incidents that occurred in Baltimore City. Mayor Brandon M. Scott said:

“These recent incidents are a horrifying display of hate and simply will not be tolerated in the City of Baltimore. Our Baltimore Jewish community has endured violence, vandalism, and other acts of hate that only seek to intimidate and threaten. To those individuals who are responsible, we only have one message: these antisemitic acts are despicable, and you will be held accountable. We stand with those victims who have endured these acts and with the broader Jewish community who are deeply impacted by the concerning rise in these types of incidents. I have confidence that through BPD’s investigations, the perpetrators will be found and held responsible for their hateful actions.”

Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said:

“Our Department has witnessed an alarming increase of hate crimes towards our Jewish community, to include antisemitism speech, vandalism, intimidation and even violence. We will not tolerate any form of hate, towards any community or any person in our city. I remain resolute that the BPD will investigate all acts of hate, intimidation or violence towards anyone or any community. Any individual found to be responsible will and must be held accountable, and we will work with our local, state and federal partners to pursue justice to the fullest extent of the law for these incidents.

"We know that hate crimes have a larger impact than just a singular offense, and its impact is felt by not only the victim(s), but also by their loved-ones and community. BPD will continue to support the victims and stand with communities against hate and harassment in all forms, towards anyone.”

Last week, WBFF, a Fox affiliate in Baltimore, reported that “Baltimore’s Jewish community is struggling with a soaring number of antisemitic acts.” As reported on June 29th, hate-filled symbols and offensive graffiti  - yellow and black swastikas alongside profanity - were discovered spray-painted on the pavement of Fordham Court in northwest Baltimore, a street known for its Jewish residents, with the abhorrent messages targeting the heart of the community. The street the spray paint was found on has 10 homes and houses many Jewish residents. The act has been universally condemned by community leaders and advocates, such as Baltimore City Councilmember Issac "Yitzy" Schleifer, who has spoken out on social media against the defacement of his district. Howard Libit, the executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, expressed his dismay at the hate crime, lamenting the emotional toll on the families directly affected.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the number of antisemitic incidents tripled in 2023 compared to the previous year. Most of the incidents involved harassment, vandalism, and assault. The number of incidents climbed following Hamas' October attack on Israel.

Read the June 27, 2024 City of Baltimore release.

Read the June 29, 2024 Hoodline Baltimore article.

Read the June 27, 2024 WBAL-TV article.

Mental Health Advocates Oppose Supreme Court Case Regarding Criminalization of Homelessness

 

(Image by jcomp on Freepik)

On April 3, 2024, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, together with the American Psychiatric Association, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association for Rural Mental Health, and National Association of Social Workers, filed an amicus (friend-of-the-court) brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Johnson v Grants Pass addressing the impact of efforts to criminalize homelessness on people with mental health disabilities and refuting arguments that such efforts are necessary to combat homelessness. As the brief – authored by the Bazelon Center and the law firm Kellogg Hansen – explains, there are alternatives. Community-based housing and mental health services are far more effective than criminal enforcement in addressing homelessness and supporting people with mental disabilities.

Johnson v. Grants Pass is the most important case regarding homelessness in decades. It will address whether laws that criminalize sleeping in public with basic protections such as a blanket – when no safe and accessible shelter options are available – violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. 

The five organizations argued that housing is one of the most basic and powerful social determinants of health, particularly for individuals with mental health disabilities. Though most people experiencing homelessness do not have a mental health condition and homelessness is more frequently triggered by economic factors such as job loss or debt, individuals with mental disabilities are disproportionately represented among the homeless population and so are disproportionately harmed by policies that criminalize nonviolent conduct associated with being homeless, such as sleeping outside with a blanket.

To date, over 1,000 organizations and public leaders have submitted around 40 amicus briefs opposing the criminalization of homelessness. They all submit that community-based services are more humane, more effective, and less expensive than incarceration or hospitalization. By employing these community-based interventions, governments can address homelessness and housing insecurity without resorting to criminal enforcement.

Read the full April 3, 2024 Bazelon Center press release (PDF).  

Read the April 3, 2024 amicus brief (PDF).

June 2024 is the 25th Anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Olmstead v. L.C. Decision that the Institutionalization of People with Disabilities is Discrimination

On June 22, 1999, the Supreme Court found in Olmstead v. L.C. (Lois Curtis) that the segregation and unnecessary institutionalization of people with disabilities is discrimination in violation of federal law prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Court recognized the right of people with disabilities to be treated as equal members of the society, to live and work in their communities, and receive services in the most integrated setting, which is almost always outside of an institution. The Olmstead decision resulted from the bravery and steadfast advocacy of Lois Curtis and her co-plaintiff Elaine Wilson. Curtis and Wilson, who had mental and intellectual disabilities, were approved to get services in the community and wanted to live in the community but were forced to remain in a state-run Georgia psychiatric unit because of a lack of community-based services. The Court held that unjustified segregation, which “perpetuates unwarranted assumptions that persons so isolated are incapable or unworthy of participating in community life,” is a form of discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Court recognized that “confinement in an institution severely diminishes the everyday life activities of individuals, including family relations, social contacts, work options, economic independence, educational advancement, and cultural enrichment.”

There still remains much to be done. Currently over 268,980 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live in congregate, institutional settings or are on waitlists for services and residential programs, and thousands of people with mental health disabilities are involuntarily detained annually. People with disabilities who live in other types of institutions - e.g., prisons, long-term care hospitals, residential treatment facilities, and the 1.2 million adults living in nursing homes - are often under-counted and not included in these numbers. Many marginalized communities, including Black, Brown, and LGBTQI+ disabled people, are disparately impacted by the harms of institutionalization. 

To commemorate this touchstone for the disability community, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law joined partners in the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) in a June 20, 2024 letter to urge policymakers to consider the needs of the disability community in key areas including health, housing, home- and community-based services, and civil rights. 

The Bazelon Center also hosted an anniversary event that brought together leaders from the federal government, the disability rights and disability justice movements, grassroots advocates and youth with lived expertise to reflect on accomplishments, lessons learned and the future of legal advocacy to achieve full community integration for youth with disabilities. The event celebrated the lives and legacies of plaintiffs Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson and all who fight to live outside of institutions and to live full lives in their communities. We appreciate all those who joined us for our virtual panel to mark a quarter century of fighting to achieve the promise of Olmstead – dignity, autonomy and full inclusion for people with disabilities in all aspects of life.

As part of our efforts to achieve the promise of Olmstead, we continued our advocacy to end the practice of sending police to mental health emergencies, when medical professionals would be sent to other health emergencies, like a heart attack. A police response is the wrong response and too often leads to arrest, incarceration and even death, especially for Black people experiencing a mental health crisis. This week, we filed an amicus brief in federal court arguing that the District of Columbia must send a health response, not police, to people experiencing a mental health crisis. Failure to do so is discrimination in violation of federal law. 

Much work remains. We appreciate your help to continue our legal, policy and public advocacy.

Read the June 20, 2024 Bazelon Center - CCD letter.

Health Equity Research Finds Housing Vouchers Improve Physical Health

An academic study published in Health Affairs (vol. 43, no. 2) has found that federal housing vouchers for low-income families alleviate family stress and nurture child development, thus confirming this intuitive connection with statistical support. The study - entitled "Experimental Evidence Shows That Housing Vouchers Provided Measurable Benefits, Including Parent Stress Reduction" - found that individuals in families who received a voucher "were 50% less likely to have high blood pressure, 90% less likely to report home heating issues, 80% less likely to miss a rent payment, and 40% less likely to lack sufficient living space. They were also five times less likely to feel unsafe in their neighborhood." The study utilized the Housing and Children’s Healthy Development study, the only randomized controlled trial of housing vouchers (conducted in the Cleveland, Ohio, and Dallas, Texas, metropolitan areas).

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocates around 60% of its annual budget ($30 billion) to the Housing Choice Voucher program (HCV). This program serves around 1.3 million families, including over 2.2 million children each year. Only one-quarter of eligible households actually receive assistance, with around 3.9 million eligible families, including more than 6.6 million children, not receiving the vouchers they qualify for. Thus. four times as many Americans, including many children, are entitled to this support but do not get it because it is difficult to get a housing voucher because of high demand and long waiting lists stemming from program underfunding. Multiple eligibility criteria, bureaucratic procedures, and unequal distribution further complicate access to the HCV program. 

The shortage of housing vouchers deeply impacts low-income and marginalized communities by exacerbating “weathering,” a recent concept in public health research that compares the human body to a structure exposed to harsh environmental conditions over time. The absence of stable housing means that individuals have relentless stress, worsened socio-economic hardships, and the development of serious health problems such as hypertension and diabetes. This chronic stress response - known as “allostatic load" - hastens an individual's health decline. To combat these disparities, the study advocates incorporating housing solutions into community development in order to foster resilience and equitable outcomes. Tackling housing instability is key to lessening the damaging health effects.

All relevant research in this area has emphasized the importance of stable housing for mental health, social engagement, community involvement, and overall well-being. It has been found that unstable housing leads to higher risks of eviction and financial instability while stable housing results in better health and educational outcomes, especially for children. Those households spending a large portion of their income on rent report worse health and often delay medical care, which negatively affecting caregiver health and maternal mental well-being, while increasing child hospitalization rates. Children in rent-burdened households also have lower health ratings and are less likely to stay in school.

Read the June 24, 2024 NCRC article.

Read the February 2024 Health Affairs research article.