August 9, 2016
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a settlement in a housing discrimination case brought against the city of Richmond, Virginia.
According to a August 4, 2016 press release on the HUD official site, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has approved an agreement with the City of Richmond, Virginia, settling 14 complaints of housing discrimination filed against the City by Hispanic residents. The complaints alleged that the City of Richmond selectively enforced its code requirements against residents of the Citys mobile home parks, who are predominantly Hispanic.”
The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate against people on the basis of their national origin. That includes discriminatory or selective enforcement of housing regulations or other issues related to enforcement.
According to the HUD official site, “The complainants, who are current or former residents of mobile home parks in Richmond, alleged that, due to their national origin, the City imposed unreasonable and legally unjustified requirements that they had to meet to avoid condemnation of their homes; intimidated and harassed them by conducting intrusive inspections with armed police escorts and threatening criminal court action and large monetary fines; and failed to provide meaningful access to residents who have limited English proficiency.”
The agreement includes the City of Richmond paying monetary damages to some of those involved in the complaint against the city. The city of Richmond has also agreed to, “analyze its language access needs, develop a language access plan, and conduct outreach to the Spanish speaking community.”
Richmond has also agreed update its “Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing (AI), hold regular meetings with relevant city offices about the AI, and take steps to identify additional funding that mobile home park tenants can use for repairs to their units.” According to the press release, some of those involved in filing the Fair Housing complaint in this case are also plaintiffs, “in a separate lawsuit filed in Federal Court, and received an additional $40,000 from the City” to be used either for relocation or home safety repairs according to the HUD official site.
This agreement helps ensure that all residents in Richmond, regardless of where they live or what ethnicity they are, have equal access and enjoyment of their home, said Gustavo Velasquez, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, who was quoted in the press release. HUD will continue to work with local governments to create and protect housing opportunities for Hispanic families and others with limited English proficiency.
If you feel you have been the victim of housing discrimination, contact HUD at (800) 669-9777 (voice), (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Housing discrimination complaints can be filed online 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.
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