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This
year, HOME, which celebrates its 40th anniversary as a civil
rights organization, experienced a 21 percent increase in the number of
requests for service. This is ironic in a year in which the City of
Buffalo had proposed eliminating financial support for fair housing. In
2002 HOME provided information to an astonishing 6,047 clients. We
provided these clients with information on fair housing law, landlord/
tenant counseling, housing search assistance, and the fair housing unit
investigated over 200 allegations of housing discrimination.
The Greater Buffalo Community Housing Center (CHC) was a
large contributor to the increase. The CHC nearly doubled the number of
clients it had served in 2001. The CHC has been successful in meeting and
exceeding its goals but its efforts have not been without obstacles.
One barrier often faced by the clients of the CHC is
discrimination on the basis of their source of income. In fact, source of
income discrimination comprised 17 percent of the 227 bias complaints
reported to HOME in 2002. Unfortunately there is currently no state or
federal protection against discrimination based on lawful source of
income. Therefore qualified applicants seeking to use a Section 8 voucher
to improve their housing situation are often denied the housing of their
choice and forced to settle for the housing they can get. Most of these
clients are without legal recourse.
However, Hamburg and
West Seneca have enacted
local ordinances that prohibit this type of discrimination. Last year,
HOME successfully used the Hamburg
ordinance to obtain housing for otherwise qualified applicants who were
initially denied housing at a Hamburg apartment complex.
Another obstacle faced by area home seekers is
discrimination because of the presence of children in the family. For the
first time in more than a decade, complaints of discrimination due to
familial status (36 percent) outnumbered racial discrimination (30 percent
of HOME’s cases.)
Discrimination on the basis of familial status cuts across
lines of race and income level. In one case, the victim was a White man
who was well employed and could afford a very nice apartment. He was
seeking an apartment that would accommodate his need to have his children
on weekends. He found such a place in a suburban complex.
The manager of the complex was delighted with his income
and told him that the building was a great place to live, but change her
mind when she learned his children would be living with him on weekends.
The manager then said the apartment building was a quiet place that would
not be appropriate for children and attempted to steer him to housing
somewhere else. Although the apartment of his choice remained vacant for
three months, the management refused to consider his application.
Discrimination based on disability was the fourth most
common cause of bias in housing. Discrimination took many forms among
them requests for reasonable accommodations being denied, insensitive
remarks, and outright denial of housing due to fear.
In one case, a young woman with multiple disabilities
needed to move due to flooding in her old apartment. She answered an ad
for an apartment located across the street from her sister. The landlord
was very friendly and inviting over the phone and the young woman believed
she would get the apartment. Unfortunately, during the course of the
initial inspection of the apartment, she mentioned that she had
disabilities.
Immediately the landlords’ attitudes changed. They said
they would have to advertise the apartment and interview other applicants
and they refused to give her an application. HOME assisted her in seeking
legal redress but all she really wanted was an apology from the landlord.
HOME’s education specialist also contributed to the
increased amount of service provided by educating the public about fair
housing and landlord tenant issues. In addition to the 6,047 requests
service received by HOME, HOME conducted educational presentations for
4,395 participants.
HOME initiated legal action in 37 validated cases of
discrimination, filing complaints with the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, the New York State Division of Human Rights, or in
state or federal court. Additionally, 23 cases were successfully
conciliated prior to any legal action being initiated.
HOME negotiated settlements with several area publications
who published ads containing discriminatory language. And, in a new
initiative, HOME also handled 11 cases of internet discrimination.
HOME along with other civil rights organizations celebrate
the passage of SONDA. HOME looks forward to the passage of similar
federal and state legislation that would protect the rights of low-income
families who receive housing subsidies, or other government benefits from
being victims of discrimination based on their lawful source of income.
Hamburg and West Seneca, two local municipalities, have taken that step
and passed ordinances which prohibit housing discrimination based on
lawful source of income. HOME applauds their efforts to eliminate all
barriers to equal opportunity in housing. |
