“It’s clear that more enforcement actions are needed, as well as increased education and outreach to property owners and managers.” — Caroline Peattie
A typical scenario for FHANC begins with a call from someone who believes they’ve experienced housing discrimination. “We do whatever the client needs,” says Howard-Gibbon. “The person could already be evicted, for instance. And then we can file complaints with the California Civil Rights Department or with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).” On average, the two staff attorneys and three counselors at the agency have a 20-to-30 client caseload at any point. Out of more than 1,550 calls, she says, FHANC has provided actual representation in some way to approximately 235 of those callers, writing letters on their behalf and filing lawsuits. “We also handled 213 foreclosure cases last year.” FHANC’s income source is primarily federal funding. In fiscal year 2022-2023, the agency received nearly $1.1 million in federal funds and $333,451 in local government funds. The remainder of its financing is achieved from
individual donations, foundation grants, contract revenue, corporate grants, special events, settlements, interest income and board contributions. Testers help with investigations In a statement released in September, FHANC announced they had completed an in-depth investigation that revealed a high rate of housing discrimination against Black renters, particularly those with criminal conviction histories, in its three-county territory. “Despite long-standing federal and state fair housing laws, the report shows significant evidence of continued housing discrimination based on race,” said Howard-Gibbon. “This report also highlights how barriers to housing for people with criminal records, particularly Black Americans who face over-policing and higher incarceration rates, have profound impacts, leaving many unhoused and at higher risk of recidivism.” In this case, FHANC conducted
Happy Holidays
120 investigations at 30 large rental properties in Marin, Sonoma and Solano counties and analyzed the experiences of Black and white “testers” posing as prospective renters with criminal histories. “This was to determine whether Black applicants with criminal histories are discriminated against on the basis of race and/ or disproportionally excluded from housing because of their conviction records,” said Howard-Gibbon. “Each investigation consisted of four testers, two Black and two white, who contacted landlords to ask whether they screen for criminal histories, what the landlord’s screening policy is, and whether the tester’s application would likely be denied based on the conviction history in the tester’s assigned profile. Some had felonies and some had misdemeanors.” Howard-Gibbon says FHANC also uses trained testers to check for other types of discrimination, such as a woman posing as a pregnant prospective renter and another who is not pregnant. The agency has also sent out two white people and two Black people separately
In Petaluma!
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52 NorthBaybiz
December 2024
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