Category Archives: Latest News

NFHA Report Links Fair Housing to Health, Education, Transit, Wealth, and Job Opportunities

WASHINGTON, DC–Today, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) released its 2015 Fair Housing Trends Report, “Where You Live Matters.”  The report features the importance of fair housing in ensuring access to a quality education, transit options, health care, job opportunities and healthy food.  The report also discusses the state of fair housing from a national perspective, with chapters exploring the latest data on housing discrimination, highlights of recent enforcement actions, current public policy shaping access to housing opportunity and recommendations for advancing fair housing nationwide.

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Ashtabula County Rental Factbook 2015 Released

The 2015 Ashtabula County Rental Factbook offers helpful information for housing providers and consumers about affordable housing and renters in Ashtabula County. Research Associate Michael Lepley, Research Intern Khalid Ali, and Senior Research Associate Mandy Mehlman a provide a useful snapshot of rental housing and demographic information for every city. The Housing Research & Advocacy […]

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New Cuyahoga County Rental Factbook Released

The new Cuyahoga County Rental Factbook promises to be a resource that housing professionals, advocates and consumers will want to keep close at hand. Readers will find a substantial amount of detailed demographic and housing information about Cuyahoga County and all of its communities that could be useful for planning, research and advocacy efforts. The […]

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Fair Housing Education Opportunities Abound

This spring the Housing Center will present a number of fair housing educational opportunities – workshops, seminars, presentations and a fair. Please take a look at our Events page to find a program that is convenient for you. Many of our programs offer continuing education credits, too. Programs are added regularly, so please check back […]

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Know Your Rights: Disparate Impact Blog Posts and NFHA Resources

On January 21st, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc.  The question before the court is whether the disparate impact standard can be used under the Fair Housing Act.  In short, disparate impact says that a policy that appears neutral on its face may be discriminatory if it has a disproportionate negative impact on members of a protected class under the Fair Housing Act.

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Westfield Insurance Partners with the Housing Center to Advance Equal Opportunities in Housing

The Housing Center is expanding its consumer education program through a grant from Westfield Insurance, to reach more low-and moderate-income individuals, increase equal access to housing opportunities, and revitalize communities. Each year in Northeast Ohio, there are over 33,000 instances (reported and unreported) of housing discrimination. Many people do not know that fair housing laws […]

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Equality Ohio Supports New LGBTQ Brochure

Equality Ohio has generously supported the creation of a new brochure for consumers: Fair Housing for the LGBTQ Community. The brochure is available on the Housing Center’s website at https://www.thehousingcenter.org/publications/brochures/ A map illustrating the communities that include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes accompanies the brochure posting. The Housing Center is grateful to […]

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We are grateful for your support

Recent high profile events have brought race relations to the forefront of our consciousness. The Housing Center believes that when given the opportunity to live together in diverse communities, the belief in stereotypes decreases, and when interacting with one another on an individual basis, we’re less likely to profile people based on race. Fair housing […]

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Freedom from Discrimination Benefits Everyone

Diverse, thriving communities are crucial to our national prosperity in the 21st century. Access to a safe and affordable home near quality schools and employment is central to the American Dream. When it comes to building strong communities, we’re all in it together.

It’s common sense that we should challenge barriers to equality and fairness and look for better ways of doing things. That’s core to who we are as Americans, and it strengthens all communities.

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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Provides Guidance to Help Lenders Avoid Discrimination Against Consumers Recieving Disability Income

November 18, 2014

Bureau Warns Lenders Against Creating Illegal Hurdles for Recipients of Social Security Disability Income

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is issuing a bulletin to help lenders avoid imposing illegal burdens on consumers receiving disability income who apply for mortgages. The CFPB is reminding lenders that requiring unnecessary documentation from consumers who receive Social Security disability income may raise fair lending risk. Today’s bulletin calls attention to standards and guidelines that may help lenders comply with the law, and help ensure that recipients of Social Security disability income receive fair and equal access to credit.

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Housing Center Joins NFHA in Charges Against US Bank

For Immediate Release,
November 18, 2014,

by the National Fair Housing Alliance,

U.S. Bank Accused of Racial Discrimination in Five More Cities

Civil Rights Groups Amend Federal Complaint over Neglected Foreclosures, Adding Data from Cleveland, Columbus, Grand Rapids, Kansas City, Minneapolis and Muskegon

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and three of its member organizations announced new evidence of housing discrimination by Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank as part of an ongoing national investigation into the neglect of bank-owned foreclosures in communities of color.  The civil rights groups allege that U.S. Bank fails to maintain and market its foreclosures (also known as real estate owned or REO properties) in African-American and Latino neighborhoods to the same standard as in White neighborhoods, a practice that violates the federal Fair Housing Act. Today, NFHA and its partners are adding 162 REO investigations to the complaint, bringing the total number of U.S. Bank REOs investigated to 651 in 24 metropolitan areas.

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