|
As the calendar changed
from the 1960’s to the 70’s, many of the same obstacles that minorities
faced in finding adequate housing remained. While discrimination (in both
covert and overt forms) remained a definite problem, a housing shortage
occurred, thanks to two main factors: a sagging economy, which caused an
increase in mortgage rates (thus making it harder for people to buy
houses) and a moratorium on building public housing placed by the Nixon
Administration.
To help combat these
problems, HOME founded Operation Better Housing in the summer of 1969. The
program was designed to bring information on housing and give immediate
assistance to minorities who were not aware of their housing options or
lacked the knowledge of how to take advantage of them. Relying mostly on
volunteers, Operation Better Housing distributed more than 2,000
information kits to people on the East Side of Buffalo. These information
packets included information on the Buffalo Housing Code, the housing
rights of Welfare recipients, information on anti-discrimination laws and
rental information for various apartment complexes.
The program was
reinstated in the summer of 1970, this time funded by a $5000 grant from
the Buffalo and Erie County United Fund (the 1969 effort was paid for
through a fund raising effort from HOME membership.) During the summer of
1970, more than 1500 housing information packets were distributed in both
English and Spanish, rental housing was directly obtained for 48 families
and 11 complaints about discrimination were filed with the New York State
Human Rights Division. After the summer of 1970, the program was carried
on by HOME as a volunteer service, largely in response to telephone calls
to its office.
Operation Better Housing was the inspiration for the Housing
Assistance Center. Founded in the summer of 1973 by the directors of HOME,
the objectives of HAC mirrored those of Operation Better Housing and
ironically, are similar to those of the present-day Greater Buffalo
Community Housing Center. From its headquarters at 1490 Jefferson (which
was also the new location of HOME) HAC provided assistance with buying and
renting housing to low income, minority, and elderly residents free of
charge. Activities included dissemination of information, education,
financial counseling, escort services for clients who needed support on
site visits to homes, and assistance in fighting discrimination.
In the first eight
months of existence, HAC helped 47 families to get mortgages, saved 59
households from foreclosure, and helped 226 other clients during their
housing search.
HOME also underwent
changes during this decade. Besides moving their offices to 1490
Jefferson, HOME also received its first professional staff in 1975, as Joe
Kotaska was hired as HOME’s Housing Coordinator Specialist. At the helm
of this growth of HOME was Daniel R. Acker, who served as HOME’s President
from 1968-1979, the longest tenure of any HOME President.
This decade was also
significant for a former president of HOME. In 1970, James L. Hecht, one
of HOME’s founders, wrote and published a groundbreaking book, Because
It Is Right: Integration in Housing. The book focused on
discriminatory practices and attitudes in a community, and used the early
tactics of HOME as an example of how to overcome them.
Throughout the decade,
HOME continued fighting for fair housing in Western New York. In October
1980, the services of HOME and HAC were retained by the New York State
Department of Transportation to assist renters in the relocation of the
Love Canal area of Niagara Falls. In addition to providing the usual
services, HOME conducted a review of relocation patterns of renters who
moved back into the area. The data showed that there was a heavy pattern
of racial segregation in among those who were relocating back to Niagara
Falls. As a result of this resegregation, minorities moved into
deteriorating neighborhoods while whites moved into areas containing good
quality stock.
HOME also found
individual examples of racial discrimination. An example which was cited
occurred on December 12, 1980 when two women, one black and one white,
went to see a housing counselor provided by the state. Both were seeking a
four-bedroom unit; however only the white woman was given the listing for
a house in Lewiston, a predominately white suburb of Niagara Falls.
On June 18, 1981 HOME
charged that discrimination had occurred in the state’s relocation
program, and asked state and federal leaders to investigate the relocation
program. In early 1983, a conciliation agreement was signed which
remedied the problems occurring in the Love Canal relocation project.
In the summer of 1982,
HOME collaborated with other local agencies to sponsor A Guide to
Landlords’ Rights. The Guide gave landlords information and suggestions on
how to find good tenants and how to maintain a healthy landlord/tenant
relationship. The Guide also provided forms and the necessary steps for
landlords to take in case the landlord/tenant relationship didn’t work
out.
The fight for civil
rights took a large step forward in 1982 when HOME assisted in the first
case of familial status discrimination that resulted in damages for the
victim. While discrimination due to the presence of children was a
problem common to many renters and a violation of the New York State Real
Property Law, it was a misdemeanor and many public prosecutors felt it
unnecessary to devote time and effort to enforcing this law. Attorney
James Myers was able to use this criminal statute and evidence gathered by
HOME on behalf of the Becker family, who had been denied housing in North
Buffalo because of the presence of their son. After a year of negotiation,
the landlord agreed to a $1000 out-of-court settlement.
The Becker case stands
as a prime example of HOME’s growth during its first twenty years of
existence. A small organization of clergy and laity concerned with
expanding opportunities for minorities in better neighborhoods had grown
to a civil rights organization devoted to fighting for housing rights for
all people in the Niagara Frontier. The dual minded approach of expanding
services while staying true to its original mission served HOME well
during its first twenty years, and would continue for years to come. |
