FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 26, 2024
Contact: Austin Cummings, Phone: 216-306-2542,
Email: acummings@thehousingcenter.org
Cleveland, Ohio – This report is the Fair Housing Center’s eighteenth annual comprehensive examination of fair housing trends for Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina Counties. The report finds that 56 years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act, housing discrimination persists in Northeast Ohio.
For the third consecutive year, the number of fair housing complaints filed in Northeast Ohio grew, increasing by 20.7% between 2022 and 2023. Eighty-nine fair housing complaints were filed with HUD in 2023 from the six-county region, a 20.7% increase over the number filed in 2022. Approximately 78% of the complaints alleged discrimination occurring within Cuyahoga County. The most common bases of discrimination in 2023 were disability (53.9%) race (38.2%), and familial status (16.9%). From 2022 to 2023, there was an increase in the number of complaints alleging discrimination based on familial status, national origin, race, and religion.
From 2019 to 2023, the number of discrimination complaints reported to The Fair Housing Center significantly increased. The Fair Housing Center complaint intakes increased from 235 complaints in 2019 to 624 complaints in 2023, a remarkable 166% increase. In other words, in 2023 The Fair Housing Center received 2.7 times the number of complaints that it received in 2019. Of the complaints received disability (66.2%), race (22.9%), and criminal history (15.7%) made up the top three bases of alleged discrimination reported in 2023.
The Fair Housing Center’s research included a review of fair housing ordinances throughout the six counties. No updates to local fair housing ordinances appear to have been made in 2023. Several municipalities and townships have ordinances and zoning codes that continue to impede fair housing. Throughout Northeast Ohio, there are insufficient tenant protections, impacting those who rent with a housing voucher, as well as people who have previously been incarcerated and families who have been evicted.
This report was funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The findings of this work are dedicated to the public. 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 view of the Federal Government.
The Fair Housing Center is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and expand fair housing rights, eliminate housing discrimination, and promote integrated communities.
The report is available for free download on The Fair Housing Center’s website at: https://www.thehousingcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/508_2024-State-of-Fair-Housing.pdf
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