HUD Charges New Jersey Housing Providers with Discrimination and Retaliation

 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)has charged Wrightstown, New Jersey, housing providers Burlington Preservation Associates, LLC, Arbor Management, LLC, and Leon N. Weiner & Associates, Inc. (the “Respondents”) with violating the Fair Housing Act for discriminating against a Black Hispanic father and his three minor children because of his race, color, national origin, and familial status. HUD also charged them with retaliating against the tenant for filing a fair housing complaint against them. Read HUD’s Charge here. HUD’s charge alleges that the Respondents barred the Complainant and his three minor children from the property and started an eviction immediately after his incarceration, even though his attorney told them that the incarceration was likely to be short and his rent was fully paid. The Respondents claimed their actions were based on a purported rule allowing them to evict for the jailing of just one household member. HUD’s investigation found that this rule was not similarly enforced against a white non-Hispanic tenant without children who was also jailed for charges. The Charge further alleges that the Respondents could not provide a non-discriminatory justification for the more aggressive approach they took to enforcing their incarceration policies. HUD's charge will be heard by a U.S. Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) unless any party to the charge elects to have the case heard in federal district court. If an ALJ finds after a hearing that retaliation has occurred, they may award damages to the complainant for harm caused by discrimination, injunctive relief, other equitable relief, payment of attorney fees, and fines to vindicate the public interest. If the matter is decided in federal court, the Federal Court judge may also award damages. For more information on potentially discriminatory evictions, please refer to this HUD Fact Sheet. Anyone who believes they are the victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at (800) 669-9777 (voice) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). More information is available at www.hud.gov/fairhousing. Housing providers and others can learn more about their responsibility to provide reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications to individuals with disabilities here. Materials and assistance are available for persons with limited English proficiency. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may contact HUD with the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Read the September 19, 2024 HUD press release.

National Hispanic Heritage Month 2024 is September 15 - October 15

 

¡Hola!

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month 2024, the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. The Month's website has a listing of events, resources, exhibits, collections, social media, etc.

In our State, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates and recognizes the rich contributions of Hispanic-Latino individuals in Maryland. Did you know that the Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) translates many of their informative and helpful publications in Spanish and have a Spanish Facebook page? Visite: https://bit.ly/insuranceespanol.

El Mes de la Herencia Hispana es la oportunidad perfecta para celebrar y reconocer las ricas contribuciones de los Hispanos-Latinos en Maryland ¿Sabías que traducimos muchas de nuestras publicaciones en Español y tenemos una página de Facebook en español.

Stakeholder Meeting of 2025 Baltimore Regional Fair Housing Analysis is October 1

The third large stakeholder meeting of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council's 2025 Baltimore Regional Fair Housing Analysis will be gathering in person over lunch on Tuesday, October 1 at the Harriet Tubman Cultural Center in Columbia. Lunch is 11:30 a.m. and the meeting is noon. Please register on the project page and indicate your lunch preference if you can join in person. If you need to join remotely, you can register on Zoom. 

"At this meeting we will hear again from our working groups on Enforcement in the Private Market, Housing Supply and Siting of Affordable Housing, and Fair Housing Barriers for Renters. We will also review the most relevant new data from our consultants at Root Policy Research, and we are likely to start discussing potential action steps. 

The site for our meeting was formerly Harriet Tubman High School, a segregated school for Black Howard County residents built in the late 1940s near a local Black community. The school closed when Howard County had fully integrated its schools -- one grade at a time -- in 1965, eleven years after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. Harriet Tubman High School was never integrated. Now the school building is a County historical, cultural, and educational center, hosting camps and visits and featuring hybrid meeting capability for gatherings like this one. It also has historical displays and rooms that document key aspects of Howard County's history. We encourage you to come early or stay afterwards and take a look around. If there is enough interest, we may try to organize an informal tour before or after the meeting. 

Please let us know if you can join us, either in person or remotely on October 1. And feel free to reach out to me at dpontious@baltometro.org with any questions. I am out this week, but can get back to you next week. We hope to see you October 1!"

Contact:

Dan Pontious, Housing Policy Coordinator, P: 410-732-0500 x1055, dpontious@baltometro.org
Baltimore Metropolitan Council 
1500 Whetstone Way, Suite 300
Baltimore, Maryland 21230

NBC's Beyond Boundaries Conference is September 28th

 

Neighborhood leaders and activists throughout the city will gather in Central West Baltimore for a day devoted to celebrating democracy and increasing engagement.  The conference will offer a wide range of workshops and conversations including: Advocating for Transportation;  Ballot Initiatives: Friend or Foe of a Racially Just Democracy in Baltimore?; Baybrook; Violence Reduction Plan; Democratizing the Local Economy; Dos and Don’ts of Inclusive Community Building, and more.  Register here. It is held by the No Boundaries Coalition, Inc. (NBC). According to their website: Since 2008, the NBC has brought Central West Baltimore together  to address racial and economic segregation by breaking down barriers and fostering commUNITY. The work of the coalition began with the first Boundary Block Party, organized by neighbors from either side of Eutaw Place, a historic neighborhood and racial dividing line. Out of the success of the first several Boundary Block Parties, new connections were formed. In 2010, neighborhood leaders from across Central West Baltimore met for a lasagna dinner at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church on Fremont Street. They discussed a larger vision of organizing, advocacy, and capacity building together as a commUNITY. The No Boundaries Coalition was born. Since then, the No Boundaries Coalition has organized peace rallies, launched a produce market, advocated for equitable school construction and funding, provided leadership development, commissioned public art projects, hosted block parties, conducted walking tours and listening campaigns, and more. One of the No Boundaries Coalition’s most important contributions has been in police accountability.

Meeting Describing New Maryland Health Equity Resource Community Programs is September 26th

Please join Maryland Health Care for All's virtual event to hear about health resources coming to communities across the state! The Community Health Resources Commission and partners will describe new Health Equity Resource Community programs. These programs were funded thanks to your advocacy for the Health Equity Resource Act! Health equity is when everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. 

The Maryland Health Care for All! Coalition successfully advocated for the Maryland Health Equity Resource Communities Act in 2021 in an effort to increase state investment in efforts to advance health equity. The latest round of Health Equity Resource Communities have been awarded by the Community Health Resources Commission as a result of this law

Register Today!

The meeting will be on September 26th from 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. via Zoom, and will include breakout rooms by region to learn about the programs in your community which seek to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities.

¡Almuerzo para celebrar el 60.º aniversario de la aprobación de la Ley de Derechos Civiles!

 

Únase a la Comisión de Derechos Civiles de Maryland, la Oficina de Equidad y Derechos Humanos del Condado de Anne Arundel, el Consejo Asesor Comunitario de la Oficina de Diversidad, Equidad e Inclusión del Condado de Baltimore, la Oficina de Derechos Humanos y Equidad del Condado de Howard, la Oficina de la Oficina del Condado de Montgomery de Derechos Humanos y la Oficina de Derechos Humanos del Condado de Prince George para nuestra celebración del 60º aniversario de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964. Esta legislación transformadora ha sido un pilar de nuestra democracia, ayudando a acercar a nuestra nación a nuestra promesa fundacional de libertad y justicia para todos. Nuestra Celebración conmemorará el coraje y el sacrificio de innumerables héroes de los derechos civiles que dieron origen a esta histórica legislación. LOS BOLETOS CUESTAN $60. HAGA CLIC EN EL VOLANTE PARA COMPRAR ENTRADAS

Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships

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Economic Action Maryland Annual Awards Ceremony is November 7th

 

Thursday, November 7, 2024

5:30 p.m. EST - 8:30 p.m. EST

The Baltimore Museum of Industry

1415 Key Hwy 

Baltimore, MD 21230

Economic Action Maryland works to expand economic rights and financial inclusion in Maryland. Its Awards Celebration brings together community, policy, and government leaders working to advance consumer protections and economic justice in Maryland. The Awards Celebration honors our economic action champions, enjoy good food and good drinks, and relish in the company of your compatriots.

Join us on Thursday, November 7 from 5:30-8:30 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry for the Annual Awards Celebration! We will be celebrating our economic rights leaders, community champions, and the gains we’ve made in 2024. Make sure to buy your ticket now – Early bird pricing ends TODAY!

At this year’s ceremony, we are thrilled to present the Consumer Advocate Award of the Year Award to CASA Maryland for their work on the Access to Care Act and the Tenant Safety Act, alongside their critical direct services for their community members. CASA Maryland is an immigration advocacy and assistance organization serving thousands of people across the state. For decades, CASA has been advocating for legislative change in the Maryland General Assembly. CASA's policy team works to ensure that immigrant voices as well as the voices of working class people are heard and amplified in Annapolis.

On top of that, CASA provides crucial direct services to members of the immigrant community in Maryland, from citizenship education and interview preparation, to tax preparation, to providing employment through partnerships. Recently, CASA worked to raise funds for the families of the victims of the Key Bridge collapse, all of whom were immigrants from Latin America. For all of these reasons, we could not think of an organization more deserving of this award. 

Please join us as we honor their accomplishments while enjoying delicious food and drink at our Annual Awards Ceremony! Click here to buy a ticket, or click here if you would like to sponsor the event. 

Economic Action Maryland

2209 Maryland Ave  | Baltimore, Maryland 21218

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