September 9, 2016
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced progress in a fair housing issue involving the city of Phoenix, Arizona.
According to a press release on the FHA/HUD official site, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced today an agreement between the City of Phoenix, Arizona and two fair housing organizations resolving multiple complaints of housing discrimination. The Southwest Fair Housing Council (SFHC) and the Arizona Fair Housing Center (AFHC) alleged Phoenix violated the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in its administration of the City’s federally funded Housing Choice Voucher program.”
The press release goes on to say that complaints filed by fair housing organizations alleged that the city of Phoenix failed to provide accessible pre-application processes to those with disabilities, and “provided vital documents in English only, and failed to notify applicants with limited English proficiency (LEP) that they could request language assistance” according to the press release on the HUD official site.
“Decent, safe affordable housing provides the foundation low-income families need to build a better life and should be offered on an equal basis,” according to Gustavo Velasquez, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, who was quoted in the press release. “HUD commends Phoenix city leaders for their swift action and for agreeing to change their subsidized housing application process so that it is consistent with our nation’s fair housing laws.”
In this particular case, two federal laws appear to have been violated, according to the HUD official site. According to the press release, “Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance, including the failure to take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to programs and activities by LEP persons. The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to discriminate in the rental or sale of housing or to impose different terms and conditions based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. Section 504 and Title II of the ADA prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance and by state and local government entities.”
This case became known to the Department of Housing and Urban Development when, “SFHC and AFHC filed a complaint alleging the City of Phoenix engaged in discriminatory housing practices, including how the City’s housing authority managed its HUD-supported Housing Choice Voucher program. According to the complaint, the program, which had not been open to new applications since 2005, was due to be opened for new applicants in early August, 2016. Shortly before the scheduled opening, the groups filed their complaint.”
If you feel you have been the victim of housing discrimination, file a complaint with the HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 (voice) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Housing discrimination complaints may also be filed at www.hud.gov/fairhousing.
Joe Wallace has been specializing in military and personal finance topics since 1995. His work has appeared on Air Force Television News, The Pentagon Channel, ABC and a variety of print and online publications. He is a 13-year Air Force veteran and a member of the Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association. He was Managing editor for www.valoans.com for (8) years and is currently the Associate Editor for FHANewsblog.com.
Browse by Date: