November 2024 - Holiday Season Spotlight
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Welcome Note
This month we want to take the time to look at this holiday season through a housing lens. Here, you’ll find fair housing and eviction prevention topics and conversations that might come up as we enter this busy time of year.
Housing in the News
Did You Know…
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) prohibits housing providers from discriminating against renters or homebuyers based on religion. This means that you cannot be discriminated against because of religious clothing or because of your engagement in religious practices or rituals. This protected class also includes the non-practice of religion.
This year, our Fair Housing team designed and printed a new “Religion” brochure to add to our collection of educational materials. Please feel free to reach out for copies of this material.
According to the National Fair Housing Alliance’s 2024 Fair Housing Report, in 2023, the fair housing complaints for Religion were less than 1%
During the holiday season, it is very common for families to host guests for extended periods of time. However, most renters are unaware that in Florida, guests are considered tenants if they stay for more than 14 days within a six month period, or for 7 consecutive nights. At this point, the prolonged guest, at the discretion of the landlord, could be subjected to an eviction.
So What Does It All Mean?
Once again, people are facing discrimination and not exercising their rights. In our current era of political and cultural divide, stories of discrimination are on the rise, but actually filing complaints is still not happening.
Similar to other protected classes, religious based discrimination is an often overlooked form of discrimination in housing.
It is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure that guest policies are clearly outlined in the lease. Additionally, it also falls on the tenant to ensure that proper communication is taken prior to the guests’ arrival to confirm with the landlord that the guests are allowed to live in the rental unit for the duration of their stay.
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.
If you have any questions regarding your lease or further guest policies in Florida, please call 888-780-0443 to speak with an attorney for free.
Community Outreach
Upcoming Outreach Events
What We’ve Been Up To
Fair Housing Hot Topic: Domestic Violence
This month our fair housing team presented on the intersection of Fair Housing protections for domestic violence survivors for the Apartment Association of Greater Orlando (AAGO).. This presentation is part of our ongoing and dynamic relationship with AAGO to bring fair housing information to housing providers and professionals.
Center for Independent Living Vaccine Clinic
Outreach Coordinators, Pia Molina and Marissa Latimer, participated in CIL’s Vaccine Clinic this month. It was a pleasure to bring fair housing and eviction prevention resources to this important event!
Social Justice Lawyering: Environmental Racism and Community Lawyering
Our Fair Housing team presented to the Social Justice Lawyering class at the University of Florida Law School about Environmental Racism and the art of Community Lawyering. Students then engaged in a robust discussion regarding what it means to be an active attorney outside the courtroom.
Porters Community Center Resource Fall Festival
As part of this holiday season, we continued to share fair housing and eviction prevention resources with families and community members in the Gainesville Porter’s Community. Thank you so much to the Partnership for Strong Families for having us!
Health Fair Children Beyond Our Borders
A huge thank you to Children Beyond Our Borders for ensuring everyone has access to healthcare services during their fall event! We shared our Fair Housing and Eviction Prevention resources to all the families in attendance. It was a great chance to connect with community members in their native language and share resources across various linguistic backgrounds.
SPLASH of SPARC: A Multi-Cultural Celebration of Art and Humanities
We participated in SPARC352’s culminating event this month. On this beautiful Saturday morning, community members and leaders shared their stories and experiences being part of the arts and culture in Gainesville through the workshops and events created by SPARC352. It was a great opportunity to support this beautiful community collaboration by sharing our legal resources.
Library Partnership and Partnership for Stronger Families Outreach
We would also like to thank our amazing community partners Partnership for Strong Families and Alachua County Library System for hosting our FLS Eviction Prevention and Connecting Kids to Coverage teams this month at the Library Partnership Resource Center in Gainesville. We are so grateful for their support!
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 December 11th at SWAG Family Resource Center; 1029 NE 9th St, Gainesville, FL 32601, USA. You can speak to an attorney for FREE. The Eviction Prevention team is also at the Clerk of Court’s Self Help Library every other Tuesday from 10am-12pm, 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 December 14th at Christian Baptist Fellowship of FL; 1029 NE 9th St, Gainesville, FL 32601 (Lunch Provided). 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 (English)
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)
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.