| During Fair Housing Month
(April), HOME and the Erie County Fair Housing Partnership worked together
to raise public awareness of housing discrimination and to inform people
of their rights and responsibilities under fair housing law. In addition
to a traveling display and a series of public service announcements on
radio and television, HOME and the Partnership made this April the most
successful Fair Housing Month in recent memory through participation in
the following series of activities.
The Affordable Home Show
Sponsored by Buffalo Neighborhood Housing Services (now HomeFront), this
event, which attracted over 600 attendees, was held at the beginning of
the month at ECC City Campus. The Affordable Home Show brought together
over 50 housing, lending, and fair housing organizations to educate the
public the many types of affordable home ownership opportunities available
in our area. The event featured introductory workshops on fair housing,
predatory lending and home buying. The HOME table attracted many visitors
who stopped by to see the Fair Housing Month display, collect information
about fair housing and fair housing month events, and learn about HOME's
education program. HOME also gave mini-workshops throughout the day
educating first-time homebuyers about their fair housing rights.
Fair Housing Month Kickoff
Fair Housing Month "officially" began with a press conference at the HUD
storefront in downtown Buffalo. Representatives from over 25 organizations
were on hand as proclamations from county and municipal executives showing
support for fair housing were read. Many participants were reunited a few
days later at HOME's 38th Annual Meeting and Dinner (featured elsewhere in
this issue.)
Healthy Kids Day
For the second year in a row, HOME participated in the YMCA's "Healthy
Kids Day". Using the theme "Healthy Kids Make Healthy Neighborhoods", HOME
staff was at the Humboldt YMCA distributing fair housing literature to
parents and working with kids to paint a mural of a neighborhood where
everyone would feel welcome.
The Fair Housing Month Display
This year's display focused on the need for fair housing in our community
and the efforts being made on several fronts to eliminate housing
discrimination. Along with literature on fair housing rights, the display
included information on the impact of urban sprawl, predatory lending, and
"NIMBY"ism. After appearances at the Home Show, the HUD storefront, and
the Annual Meeting, the display was exhibited for two weeks at the main
branch of the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. This is the fifth
year HOME has had a fair housing display at the library during Fair
Housing Month. The display ended the month in the Rath County Office
building.
The First Western New York
Regional Fair Housing Conference
The most ambitious undertaking of the Partnership was a daylong conference
at ECC North, which included four workshops on topics related to fair
housing. Each workshop featured a panel of speakers representing
government agencies, service providers, and groups most likely to be
impacted by the policies and practices being discussed. The workshop
"Predatory Lending" featured representatives from FDIC, the State Attorney
General, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, and Buffalo Neighborhood
Housing Services. "Not in My Backyard" had panelists from the New York
State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, the
Planning Department of the Town of Amherst, and the Erie County Department
of Environment and Planning. "ADA Requirements" brought together
representatives from HUD, the City of Buffalo Department of Community
Services Advocacy's Office for Persons with Disabilities, the Independent
Living Center, the Eastern Paralyzed Veteran's Association, and the
Niagara Frontier Builders' Association.
"Fair Housing Rights and Regulations"
used a variation on the panel discussion to encourage audience
involvement. This panel featured representatives from the City of
Buffalo's Office of Fair Housing, The New York State Division of Human
Rights, HUD, Neighborhood Legal Services, and HOME. The discussion was
interrupted during a statement about housing rights for people with a
mental illness by a landlord who loudly objected to having to rent to
"crazies." As the auditorium grew restless, a woman stood up and related
the difficulties her mentally ill sister had experienced obtaining housing
because of attitudes like his. Service representatives from the audience
also attempted to educate the landlord who had interrupted the discussion.
After a few uncomfortable moments, a moderator from the panel announced
that the two original speakers were HOME Players (Vince Coppola and Pam
Snyder). The audience was then invited to interact with the performers
while they remained in character. The panel then answered questions
regarding fair housing that had been raised by the discussion.
A Night at the Movies
For the last event of Fair Housing Month, the Partnership, HOME and
Neighborhood Legal Services sponsored a screening of "Remember the Titans"
at the Dipson Market Arcade Theatre. The movie brought home the message of
Fair Housing Month: that against seemingly impossible odds, when we work
together t o build community, we can overcome discrimination. |
