GET SMART: LEARN ABOUT LAWS THAT PROTECT YOU AGAINST HOUSING DISCRIMINATION
(Article published in HWW Nov 2004)
by Cara Simonetti, Fair Housing Project Coordinator, HELP USA
Did you know that it is illegal to discriminate against someone in the rental or sale of housing because of their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or because they have children living with them?
Besides limiting a person’s housing choices, this discrimination also violates their civil rights. Because of this, there are serious penalties for breaking these laws.
Discrimination in housing takes many forms. It includes doing the following based on race or other traits listed above:
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• Denying housing. For example, a landlord or broker refuses to rent an apartment to a person because of their race.
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• Setting different terms and conditions for renting a home. For example, a landlord charges a family with children a higher security deposit than it would charge a childless couple.
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• Showing homes only in certain neighborhoods or areas. For example, a broker will show a potential tenant apartments only in a neighborhood with people of the same race.
Illegal housing discrimination also includes sexual harassment, such as making sexual demands or repeatedly making unwelcome sexual remarks to the tenant.
There are many other forms of housing discrimination and many other ways the laws protect you!
To help you protect yourself against housing discrimination, HELP USA has started a Fair Housing outreach project. It is providing free training and materials to clients and staff of the shelter system who want to learn more about fair housing rights, or who feel that they have been discriminated against and want to fight back.
For more information, to schedule a workshop for staff or clients of the shelter system, or to report discrimination, please contact HELP USA’s Fair Housing Referral Hotline at (212) 400-8201.
