October 2024 - Families Spotlight
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Welcome Note
This month, as the holiday season gets underway, we wanted to take the time to focus on families and children. The Fair Housing Act protects families with children under the Familial Status Protected Class. However, this time we wanted to focus on the other ways in which families and families with children are affected by housing discrimination and current eviction trends. A warning that some of the current events related to this topic may be disturbing to read.
Housing in the News
Did You Know…
In July 2024, the United States filed a pattern or practice complaint against Southwest Key Programs because of sex in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The complaint alleges that that Southwest Key violated the FHA by subjecting unaccompanied children residing in its shelters to severe and pervasive sexual harassment by employees. Southwest Key is a national non-profit that operates in Texas, Arizona, and California. It is the largest care provider for unaccompanied children in the United States.
In August 2024, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)charged a New Jersey Housing Provider with Discrimination After Selective Application of Eviction Policy and Retaliation. HUD’s charge alleges that the Respondents barred the Complainant and his three minor children from the property and initiated an eviction immediately after his incarceration, even though his attorney advised the Respondents that the incarceration was likely to be brief and his rent was fully paid during this time. The Respondents claimed their actions were based on a purported rule allowing them to evict for the mere incarceration of a sole household member. HUD’s investigation found that this rule was not similarly enforced against a white non-Hispanic tenant without children who was also incarcerated for pending charges.
In September 2024, HUD charged Georgia property owner, management company, and property manager with disability discrimination against a tenant because of her child’s disability. HUD’s Charge of Discrimination alleges that the Respondents failed to grant a reasonable accommodation when Complainant requested a ground-floor unit due to her child’s disability. Respondents failed to provide the accommodation even though the disability-related need was obvious, and the Complainant provided additional medical documentation to support the request.
So What Does It All Mean?
These cases illustrate that discriminatory practices can have severe consequences for families, impacting their safety, stability, and access to housing.
In 2023, Gainesville, FL, saw 1,015 eviction filings, with 6,850 total evictions recorded since March 15, 2020, when COVID-19 protections were first implemented. Following the expiration of these protections, eviction filings have varied, highlighting the ongoing housing instability faced by many local renters and families. Eviction Lab
Studies show that evictions disrupt family stability and children’s education, leading to long-term effects on mental and physical health. NIH: The Health Impacts of Eviction
These incidents highlight the urgent need for enforcement of FHA protections and ongoing advocacy to ensure equitable housing for all families, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds.
What Can We Do?
Outreach efforts from Florida Legal Services are crucial for assisting vulnerable families, helping them avoid displacement during challenging times. The Eviction Prevention and Fair Housing teams are committed to supporting families in Alachua County by offering guidance, legal aid, and educational workshops on tenant rights to prevent evictions and support stable housing for all families in the community.
For organizations interested in scheduling a workshop on tenant rights or learning more about legal protections for families, please contact Marissa Latimer at marissa.latimer@floridalegal.org and Pia Molina at pia.molina@floridalegal.org for all Fair Housing educational workshops and materials.
Community Outreach
Upcoming Outreach Events
What We’ve Been Up To
2024 Rise Up Against Domestic Violence Conference
Our program attorneys, Joseph Cordova and Erika Recek, presented fair housing information related to domestic violence and sex-based discrimination at this year’s conference in Flagler County. Thank you for letting us be part of your advocacy!
GROWHUB’s Rooted in Inclusion event
This month we got the chance to be a community partner at GROWHUB’s Disability Awareness event. It was a beautiful fall day in Gainesville to be sharing fair housing resources related to Disability as a protected class. We loved the opportunity to connect with other disability-centered resources and with all event attendees!
The Children’s Trust Lights On Afterschool
Both of our housing projects attended the Children’s Trust Lights On Afterschool event to support the Boys and Girls Club in Alachua County. We handed out educational information regarding Fair Housing services, and contact information for the Eviction Prevention project to all the families in attendance. Thank you for inviting us to this amazing event!
Library Partnership’s Fall Health Fair
Fair Housing and Eviction Prevention had the joint opportunity to celebrate Library Partnership’s efforts to promote public health during their fall festival. We were able to share our information on both of our housing projects for Alachua County residents.
Chiefland Fall Festival
Our Fair Housing program attended the Chiefland fall festival. There was incredible turn out from the community and we were thrilled to hand out fair housing resources, goodies, and candy. Thank you to Chiefland Methodist Church for inviting us to be part of this great event!
Flagler Cares Help Night
We are always grateful to be invited to the quarterly Flagler Cares Help Nights, where attendees are able to engage one-on-one with our staff attorneys to discuss housing concerns and potential violations of Fair Housing rights and protections. We look forward to the next one!
Rural Women’s Health Project TPS Clinic
FLS was able to support the Rural Women’s Health Project during their TPS clinic by providing one of attorneys from our Immigrant & Migrant Rights Project. A big thanks to our very own Anne Piervil who has been out in Florida communities supporting TPS clinics for Haitian Creole speaking immigrants. Eviction Prevention was there to support families that might be impacted by evictions or housing issues. Thank you Anne Piervil for attending!
Migrant Education Project Staff Training
The Eviction Prevention team recently conducted a "Know Your Rights" workshop on tenant and landlord rights and responsibilities, led by our Eviction Prevention attorney, Denise Bezik. Through this workshop, the Migrant Education Project staff received information to better support migrant working families. If your organization would benefit from a similar training—whether for staff meetings or educational sessions for patrons—please reach out to Marissa Latimer at marissa.latimer@floridalegal.org. We look forward to supporting your team!
Trunk or Treat - Deland and Port Orange
To wrap up our month of halloween and fall festival events, Pia and Joe attended You Thrive FL’s Trunk or Treat events in Volusia County. Both events had great attendance and costumes. We love being able to share information for families and children so thank you so much for including us again in your annual event.
Alachua County Eviction Prevention Legal Clinic - If you have a housing or legal question that you would like to consult an attorney about, please join us Oct. 16th from 1pm-4pm at the One Health Family Center; 1725 SE 1st Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32641. You can speak to an attorney for FREE. The Eviction Prevention team is also at the HQ Library every Friday from 10am-1pm, if you have any questions or concerns, stop by!
Alachua County Eviction Prevention Helpline - CALL: 888-780-0443
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 housing, landlord-tenant issues, child support, or any other legal issue faced by low-income Alachua County renters. Callers will be connected with an attorney who can provide legal assistance over the phone and in some cases, direct legal representation.
Tenants’ Rights Workshops - The Alachua County Eviction Prevention team is hosting FREE monthly legal clinics “Know Your Rights As A Renter” at public locations throughout the county. Join us this month Oct. 7th from 10am-12pm at Library Partnership: 912 NE 16th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear advice and ask questions of experienced housing attorneys. EMAIL TO JOIN MAILING LIST FOR UPCOMING FREE LEGAL CLINIC!
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
IF YOU ARE AN ALACHUA COUNTY RESIDENT FACING BARRIERS TO HOUSING OR AN EVICTION, PLEASE CALL AND FOLLOW THE PROMPTS TO REACH A LIVE ALACHUA COUNTY OPERATOR:
888-780-0443 (English and Spanish)
Need general email
www.floridalegal.org/evictionprevention
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.