HUD Press Release Aug 23, 2019, 3:15 PM 

HUD Settles with Virginia Rental Company for Housing Discrimination in Los Angeles Area

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced  it has approved a Conciliation Agreement between Housing Rights Center (HRC), a fair housing advocacy organization in Los Angeles, and Arlington, VA-based AvalonBay Communities, Inc., resolving allegations that the real estate investment trust employed rental practices that discriminated against applicants based on their race. Read the agreement.

The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against applicants for housing because of their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability, including by providing different and false information about terms, conditions and availability of rental properties.

“Denying a rental application because of someone’s race not only robs them of a place to call home, it is also unlawful,” said Anna María Farías, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “Hopefully today’s settlement will convince other housing providers of the importance of meeting their obligation to comply with the nation’s fair housing laws.”

The case came to HUD’s attention when HRC filed a complaint alleging that AvalonBay, which operates numerous properties in the Los Angeles area, repeatedly provided more information about available units to white HRC fair housing testers who posed as prospective tenants than to black HRC testers.  AvalonBay denies the allegations of racial discrimination but agreed to conciliate the case.

Under the Conciliation Agreement, AvalonBay will pay Housing Rights Center $20,000. In addition, its management and leasing staff who work with tenants at the subject property will attend fair housing training. AvalonBay also agreed to comply with all provisions of the Fair Housing Act in the future.

Persons 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) 927-9275 (TTY).

August 27, 2019

2012-2016 Consolidated Planning/CHAS data now available on HUD User Each year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) receives custom tabulations of American Community Survey (ACS) data from the U.S. Census Bureau. These data, known as the "CHAS" data (Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy), demonstrate the extent of housing problems and housing needs, particularly for low-income households. The CHAS data are used by local governments to plan how to spend HUD funds, and may also be used by HUD to distribute grant funds. For more background on the CHAS data, including data documentation and a list of updates and corrections to previously released data, click here. HUD offers a simple web-based table generator (also known as a query tool) that provides some of the most commonly used CHAS figures (click here for the CHAS query tool). The complete set of data files can be found here. Click here to learn more and access the 2012-2016 Consolidated Planning/CHAS data. New on HUD User HUD USER | P.O. Box 23268, Washington, DC 20026-3268  Toll Free: 1-800-245-2691 | TDD: 1-800-927-7589  Local: 1-202-708-3178 | Fax: 1-202-708-9981  https://www.huduser.gov/

HUD USER, P.O. Box 23268, Washington D.C, DC 20026-3268 SafeUnsubscribe™ mail@gbchrb.org Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by hudpdrupdates@huduser.gov

INFORMATIVE VIDEO ABOUT FLOOD INSURANCE

The Maryland Insurance Administration has released a short video with some important information about flood insurance: 
https://www.facebook.com/MDInsuranceAdmin/videos/3100788203295592.

Check out that page for other videos about Flood Insurance For Mobile Homes, Can Flood Insurance be Escrowed?, How to Get Flood Insurance, 4 pillars about flood insurance, how a building's foundation affects insurance rates, flood insurance for FHA loans, etc.

Their regular home page is: https://insurance.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx. Their site has a lot of information about the different types of insurance, the regulatory process, fraud, contacts, and other resources. There is specific info for consumers, insurers, and producers.

August 8, 2019

Sexual Harassment Prevention in the Workplace Media coverage of recent high profile sexual harassment cases and the rise of the #metoo and #timesup movements has caused many organizations to question whether they are giving their employees all the correct information regarding preventing sexual harassment in the workplace. The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights invites you to attend one of our interactive and informative workshops on Sexual Harassment Prevention in the Workplace. The training workshop will focus on sexual harassment laws, prevention, and employer liability. We will discuss types of sexual harassment, current statistics, case examples, common workplace scenarios, and best practices to prevent and respond to sexual harassment. This course is ideal for employers, managers, supervisors, human resource & employee relations staff as well as any employee. All attendees will receive a Certificate of Attendance at the end of the workshop. Workshop instructors include staff and attorneys from the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. Please note: These are free workshops. Please contact Director of Education & Outreach Tara Taylor at tara.taylor@maryland.gov or 410-767-6459 if you have any accommodation needs. Space is incredibly limited - register today to save your spot! Once full, any new registrations will be placed on a wait list. One person will not be permitted to register multiple attendees. Please make sure each attendee registers separately online. Check-in begins at 8:30am, and the class begins at 9:00am. Free parking is available at the training locations.

Join Us At One Of Our Bi-Monthly Workshops Friday, September 6, 2019 9:00am - 1:00pm Maryland Public Television 11767 Owings Mills Boulevard Owings Mills, Maryland 21117 REGISTER HERE Wednesday, November 13, 2019 9:00am - 1:00pm Anne Arundel Community College 101 College Parkway Cade Fine Arts Center, Room 215 Arnold, Maryland 21012 REGISTER HERE Thank you to Maryland Public Television and Anne Arundel Community College for hosting these workshops!

Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships

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Cordially Invites You To "Doing The Work" Exhibit Opening Celebrating 50 Years of the Maryland Commission on African American History & Culture (MCAAHC)

Saturday, August 10 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Banneker-Douglass Museum 84 Franklin Street, Annapolis, MD 21401  The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture’s mission to discover, document, preserve, collect, and promote Maryland’s African American heritage is demonstrated through its educational and public programs, preservation and funding programs, and the collections housed by the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM). This exhibit showcases ephemera, photographs, and archival documents to detail the history and impact of MCAAHC. Doing the Work invites visitors to learn about the Commission’s impact on their local communities and consider their personal role in preserving Maryland’s African American heritage. Click here to register.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                              Contact: Megan Haberle Poverty & Race Research Council (PRRAC) mhaberle@PRRAC.org August 1, 2019 PRRAC CONDEMNS HUD'S NEW ASSAULT ON THE FAIR HOUSING ACT  HUD Proposal Seeks to Weaken Critical Anti-Discrimination Provision WASHINGTON - The forthcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the Discriminatory Effects Standard (also known as Disparate Impact) was recently leaked to reporters and is now available prior to its publication in the Federal Register.  Like HUD's 2018 suspension of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule, and HUD's attempted suspension of the Small Area FMR Rule in 2017, this proposed rule is an attempt by the Trump administration to dismantle the civil rights infrastructure that is one of the crowning achievements of our democracy. The Discriminatory Effects Standard (commonly known as Disparate Impact) of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 upholds our societal obligation to fairness by respecting and protecting equal opportunity. The goal of the Disparate Impact standard  is to root out unjustified practices that discriminate against groups protected by the Fair Housing Act, even where there is no specific evidence of discriminatory intent.  The standard is based on an understanding of how hidden, stubborn prejudice can result in needless, facially neutral policies that discriminate against protected classes in practice.  Without clear support for this standard from the federal government, both public and private actors will be given virtual license to design and implement discriminatory policies. Some of the most egregious elements of this proposed rule include: An elimination of the long-standing and well-established principle of "perpetuation of segregation" from the definition of Disparate Impact; A new set of "prima facie case" requirements that will make it virtually impossible to bring a successful case; A distorted new requirement of "robust causality" that will give rise to endless litigation and help defendants evade liability for obvious discriminatory practices; and A statement that arbitrary and grossly discriminatory exclusionary zoning decisions will now be beyond the scope of the fair housing act, unless they are part of a broader "policy." PRRAC Executive Director Philip Tegeler  called the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking "a deeply cynical proposal that would put most types of modern housing discrimination beyond the reach of the courts." PRRAC Deputy Director Megan Haberle also stressed that "HUD is ignoring the historical and current practices that continue to drive segregation in our cities and metro areas." PRRAC  740 15th Street Northwest, 3rd Floor Washington, DC 20005 www.prrac.org See what's happening on our social sites

PRRAC, 1200 18th St. NW #200, Washington, DC 20036