December 2023 - Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
< Back to All Newsletters
Welcome Note
As we wind down 2023 and prepare for 2024, we wanted to take this time to highlight what Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) means to us and how our past and future efforts respond to this directive by the Fair Housing Act. While Florida Legal Services is not a housing authority or jurisdiction identified by the law and policies of AFFH, as a Fair Housing Initiative Project (FHIP) we abide by the essence of this call to action in our work, each day, and in our connection to the communities we serve.
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
AFFH is a provision of the 1968 Fair Housing Act directing HUD to make sure neither it nor the cities, counties, states, and public housing agencies it funds, discriminate in their housing and community development programs and that those programs actively work to eliminate the barriers and disparities caused by residential segregation. It also requires any federal entity involved in housing or urban development activities to affirmatively further fair housing. (1)
AFFH means taking meaningful actions to address significant disparities in housing needs and in access to opportunity, replacing segregated living patterns with truly integrated and balanced living patterns, transforming racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity, and fostering and maintaining compliance with civil rights and fair housing laws. The duty to affirmatively further fair housing extends to all of a program participant’s activities and programs relating to housing and urban development. (2)
https://nationalfairhousing.org/issue/affirmatively-furthering-fair-housing/#:~:text=Specifically%2C%20affirmatively%20furthering% 20fair%20housing,patterns%2C%20transforming%20racially%20or%20ethnically
Id.
So What Does It All Mean?
AFFH is significant as it tells us that it is not enough to simply “not discriminate” but that we must actively promote opportunities for greater equality and equity in housing.
Simply not repeating yesterday’s discrimination is not enough. We must erase its lingering symptoms as well.
What Can We Do?
At Florida Legal Services, we actively engage with communities through partnerships and outreach to deliver presentations, distributed materials, and overall educate and make aware the rights and protections afforded under the Fair Housing Act.
Additionally, we advocate for clients and communities, who continue to experience discriminatory treatment and offer assistance in their path through such struggles.
We also engage with housing providers and educate property managers and staff on proper policies and practices to adopt so that future discrimination is stopped before it starts.
Community Outreach
Upcoming Outreach Events
December 21 - Alachua County Eviction Prevention Workshop, 5pm, Tower Road Library
January 10 - AAGO Fair Housing Hot Topics: Disparate Impact
January 26 - Fair Housing Presentation for Alachua Migrant Education Program
What We’ve Been Up To
Tenants’ Rights Workshops - The Alachua County Eviction Prevention team is hosting FREE monthly workshops “Know Your Rights As A Renter” at public locations throughout the county. This coming month will be Thursday, Dec. 21, at 5 pm at the Alachua County Public Library Tower Road Branch and next month on Thursday, Jan 18, at 5 pm at the Alachua County Public Library Cone Park Branch located at 2801 E University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32641. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear advice and ask questions of experienced housing attorneys.
Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence Presentation - On December 7th, we presented information regarding the Violence Against Women Act and the Fair Housing Act to advocates and staff from the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence. This was a unique presentation in that it focused specifically on topics like Disparate Impact and how laws can overlap and complement one another in order to provide full protections.
Alachua County Eviction Prevention Helpline - This helpline aimed at serving Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) recipients and other members of the Alachua community is up and running! Helpline operators are accepting phone calls regarding eviction, landlord-tenant issues, or any sort of barrier to housing faced by low-income Alachua County Residents. Callers will be connected with an attorney who can provide legal assistance over the phone and in some cases, direct legal representation.
Interlachen Resource Fair - In early December we were able to participate in a couple of holiday fairs before the year wraps up. One of them was hosted by the Children’s Home Society of Florida for families in Interlachen. It was a great opportunity to get the word out about our services in Putnam County and to spanish speaking families.
Holiday Resource Fair for Haitian Crime Victims
We got the chance to share Fair Housing information in Haitian Creole at the Holiday Fair planned and executed by our very own staff for the Enhancing Services to Haitian Survivors project. It is always great when we get to share our services in other languages. Thank you so much Anne for putting this together and inviting us to participate.
Learn to Read - Palatka Presentation
Learn to Read of St. John’s is one of our wonderful partners that we get to work with throughout the year. This month we got to engage with their Palatka class and discuss Fair Housing Basics in English and Spanish, while at the same time assisting students with their English acquisition. Thank you so much for having us!
State & Nationwide Legal Update
On September 1, 2023, the court entered a consent order in United States v. LJLD, LLC (Bridgewater), et al. (E.D. Mo). The complaint, which was filed on September 26, 2022, alleges that the defendants discriminated on the basis of disability by designing and constructing a multifamily apartment complex without the accessible and adaptable features required by the Fair Housing Act (FHA). The consent order requires the defendants to make accessibility retrofits to the property, pay $18,500 to compensate aggrieved persons, undergo fair housing training, and report on compliance. The case was referred to the Division after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received a complaint filed by the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council, conducted an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination.
The federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) protects you from discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status. This applies to renting, buying, mortgages, appraisals, insurance, and looking for a place to live.
IF YOU THINK YOU’VE BEEN THE VICTIM OF HOUSING DISCRIMINATION, PLEASE CONTACT US AT:
407-801- 4224
850-680-1729 (Spanish)
fairhousing@floridalegal.org
www.floridalegal.org/fairhousing
The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under a grant with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government.