BEDFORD – The City of Bedford agreed to repeal its Criminal Activity Nuisance Ordinance (CANO) and pay a settlement amount of $350,000 as a result of litigation brought by the ACLU, the ACLU of Ohio and The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland on behalf of Beverley Somai, a Bedford resident, and the Fair Housing Center […]
Download Fair Housing: Know Your Rights for up-to-date information on your civil rights. The Fair Housing Center exists to protect and expand fair housing rights, eliminate housing discrimination, and promote integrated communities. In order to best serve our neighbors and community, it is a high priority of ours to provide easily accessible educational resources and […]
The Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research is a Cleveland based not for profit fair housing agency that promotes equal housing opportunities and positive race relations in Northeast Ohio. For over 35 years, The Fair Housing Center has been working to protect and expand fair housing rights, eliminate housing discrimination, and promote integrated communities. […]
ALEXANDER CHAVERS, GUEST BLOGGER Rothstein’s “The Color of Law” is a book that forces us to take a long look at the history of housing segregation in America. From private realtors to neighborhood councils, to public works projects and even legislation, many factors have helped to continue the practice of dividing cities based on black […]
EMILY MARTIN, COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH SPECIALIST ANDREW ENGLISH, JR. GUEST BLOGGER John Reitano’s What if the Zebras Lost Their Stripes? allows kids to explore racial diversity by imagining what might happen if zebras lost their stripes, resulting in some animals becoming all-black and others all-white. Reitano asks, “What if the Zebras lost their stripes, and […]
We’ll protect your right to fair housing. As the COVID-19 crisis continues to disrupt nearly every aspect of our lives — from transportation and employment to housing and healthcare — The Fair Housing Center is here to help our neighbors with fair housing issues that arise during this pandemic. Our advocates are available to assist […]
LAUREN AMMERMAN, GUEST BLOGGER Matthew Desmond’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Evicted is an excellent place to start for any reader who wants to delve into the world of fair housing research. An approachable read, Evicted follows individuals and families in some of Milwaukee’s low-income neighborhoods. The book represents both landlord and tenant perspectives, and readers get to […]
EMILY MARTIN, COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH SPECIALIST ANDREW ENGLISH, JR. GUEST BLOGGER Todd Parr’s It’s Okay to Be Different offers young readers affirmation of their differences, as it cleverly celebrates diversity in all its forms. This colorful picture book encourages early literacy, enhances emotional development, celebrates multiculturalism, and promotes character growth. It’s Okay to Be Different […]
Each April, National Fair Housing Month is celebrated to reaffirm our commitment to ending housing discrimination and commemorate the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act in 1968, which prohibits discrimination in the sale or rental of housing on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability. At the Fair […]
The health of our community is a priority to all of us at the Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research, so we must take proactive steps to ensure the health and safety of our staff, clients, and neighbors. In an effort to decrease the spread of COVID-19 and keep our community healthy, The Fair […]
PRESS RELEASE CONTACT INFORMATION:Charles See, Reentry Housing Committee: 216-798-7717 Malika Kidd, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry: 216-256-7928 Christopher Knestrick, NEOCH: 216-432-0540 Erica Anthony: 631-523-2953 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary, 21, 2020, Cleveland, OH A new report from The Reentry Housing Committee highlights the extent to which Cuyahoga County’s federally subsidized housing providers may deny housing based upon prior criminal […]
FOR RELEASE: June 19, 2019
Contact: Michael Lepley
Phone: (216) 361-9240, x209.
E-mail: mlepley@thehousingcenter.org
Cleveland, Ohio – Housing discrimination persists in Northeast Ohio. In 2018, there were 138 complaints of housing discrimination in Northeast Ohio that were filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with a 25-year average of 141.1 complaints filed. The Fair Housing Center estimates that there are at least 33,690 instances of housing discrimination annually in the region showing that the complaints filed represent only a small fraction of the total number of instances of housing discrimination in the region. Over the past five years (2014-2018), the most common bases of discrimination alleged in complaints were disability (37.9%), race (20.2%), and familial status (17.5%). The Fair Housing Center uncovered housing discrimination against the LGBTQ community in 34.1% of rental transactions and against survivors of domestic violence in 35.9% of rental transactions.
(more…)FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kris Keniray, Associate Director
Phone: 216-361-9240, Ext. 208
E-mail: kkeniray@thehousingcenter.org
CLEVELAND, Ohio (Tuesday, June 11, 2019) – The Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research (The Fair Housing Center) has created a new resource to assist those denied housing based on criminal history. Common estimates hold that 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. have a criminal record. Those who have been engaged with the criminal justice system often face immense obstacles to housing upon release from incarceration for years, even decades, to come. Such obstacles impact the individual, their family and the larger community. Access to stable housing is critical to successful community reentry.
(more…)We interviewed Christopher Hamm, Fair Housing Center Board Member, to learn more about him and his commitment to fair housing. Christopher told us his belief in the importance of fair housing advocacy motivates him to stay involved with our organization’s work. Check out our Q&A with Christopher below!
(more…)Meet Keniece Gray, one of the newest Fair Housing Center Board Members. We’re so excited to welcome Keniece on board (pun intended). Check out our Q&A to learn why she got involved with the Fair Housing Center!
