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- Latest news item posted on 05/08/2008 at 03:57 PM
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Abuse victims face bias, study says
(WASHINGTON, May 08, 2008)
-- A new study has found that victims of domestic abuse are likely to face discrimination when seeking rental housing in the District, despite a law prohibiting such bias.
The investigation was initiated by the Equal Rights Center, a Washington fair-housing advocacy group that has conducted civil-rights testing for 25 years. The study, done in January and February, covered 93 rental properties. It found that in 65 percent of the cases of domestic-abuse victims seeking housing, they were denied it outright or offered disadvantageous conditions to get an apartment.
The study was intended to calculate the extent of the problem one year after a law took effect in the District to protect victims of domestic violence from being denied rental housing, said Rabbi Bruce E. Kahn, the center's executive director. The legislation was designed, in part, to stem homelessness among women and children, who make up about half the city's homeless population. The leading cause of homelessness among women is domestic violence, advocates say.
FULL STORY in The Washington Post
Student apartment complex sued for alleged discrimination
(BOISE, Idaho, May 08, 2008)
-- A Twin Falls apartment complex that caters to students at the College of Southern Idaho is being sued by the Intermountain Fair Housing Council in federal court.
The nonprofit housing council contends that the 12-unit Caliber Courts apartments and its owner Debbie Broadie committed gender discrimination by prohibiting tenants from having overnight guests of the opposite gender.
FULL STORY at montanasnewsstation.com
Justice Department files fair housing lawsuit against city of Satsuma, Alabama
(WASHINGTON, May 08, 2008)
-- The Justice Department today sued the City of Satsuma, Ala., for violating the Fair Housing Act
when the city refused to allow three women with disabilities to live together in a group home. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of Alabama, charges that Satsuma refused to make reasonable accommodations in its rules, policies, practices or services, which were necessary to afford the residents an opportunity to use and enjoy their home.
The three adult residents lived in a single-family home with supportive services provided by professional care-givers. The City's zoning ordinance permits five unrelated persons to reside together in single-family homes in
residential zones of the City.
"The Fair Housing Act ensures that persons with disabilities have the right to live in communities of their choice. We will continue to enforce the Act vigorously," said Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
PRESS RELEASE by the Department of Justice
Landlords question discrimination complaints
(CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, May 03, 2008)
-- Landlords and property managers are questioning the validity of 30 complaints alleging race-based discrimination that have been filed against 29 property management companies in Cedar Rapids.
The Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission filed the complaints after conducting a housing audit from December to April 2 that found black testers faced some degree of discrimination at three out of every four companies visited.
Cedar Rapids landlords and property managers said they were shocked by the audit results, given their efforts to observe fair housing laws.
In addition, some are suggesting that variables could have created the appearance of differential treatment. And some wondered how many times each property was tested. Most cite the need for more education about fair housing laws.
FULL STORY in The Cedar Rapids Gazette
Cities consider how to deal with group homes with new laws
(BOISE, Idaho, May 02, 2008)
-- City officials in southwest Idaho are trying to determine if using new state laws to restrict group homes for drug felons and sex offenders in residential neighborhoods would violate the federal Fair Housing Act.
"A misconception with the public is, 'We've got this legislation, and it'll do away with transition homes,'" Jerry Todd, spokesman for Boise planning and development services, told the Idaho Statesman. "That is not the case. This legislation is really just a starting point."
Boise has about 50 transition homes, Todd said, and that number includes housing for registered sex offenders, parolees, and people who might need special services but haven't been in trouble with the law.
Some neighbors of group homes have complained that homes housing as many as 12 parolees or probationers were inappropriate for residential neighborhoods.
Earlier this year, the Legislature passed and Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter signed a bill allowing cities and counties to more closely regulate group homes for people on felony probation or parole. Another new law limits to two the number of registered sex offenders who can live in the same single-family dwelling.
FULL STORY in The Idaho Statesman
Attorney challenges Bruning on bias fights
(OMAHA, Neb., May 02, 2008)
-- If Jon Bruning is certain he's on the right side of the law in his refusal to prosecute housing discrimination cases, he should be willing to argue his case in court.
That's according to Lincoln attorney Kathleen Neary.
She's among attorneys offering the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission free legal counsel if the agency wants to sue the Nebraska attorney general.
FULL STORY by NTV
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