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- Latest news item posted on 07/02/2008 at 07:41 AM
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- Watch the June 12, 2008 House hearings before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties on "Enforcement of the Fair Housing Act of 1968" here.
Mayor: End of regional agreements 'a disaster' for city
(MIDDLETOWN, N.J., July 02, 2008)
-- Middletown Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger reacted strongly this week to the passage of legislation that spells an end to the township's use of Regional Contribution Agreements (RCA) to help fulfill its affordable housing obligation.
"I can't overstate how damaging this is going to be to Middletown," Scharfenberger said Monday. "It's a disaster."
Scharfenberger said he would not take the Legislature's decision to end RCAs lying down.
According to Scharfenberger, he, along with officials from surrounding municipalities, will hold a press conference to announce a "plan of action" in response to the legislation.
With the passage of bills in both the Assembly and Senate, municipalities like Middletown will have to look within their boundaries to build affordable housing.
FULL STORY in The Independent
Florida Attorney General files lawsuit against Countrywide Financial
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla., July 01, 2008)
-- Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that his office has filed a lawsuit against Countrywide Financial, one of the nation’s largest mortgage companies, for allegedly engaging in deceptive and unfair trade practices. The Attorney General’s lawsuit claims Countrywide put borrowers into mortgages they couldn't afford or loans with rates and penalties that were misleading. Chief Executive Angelo Mozilo was also named in the lawsuit.
“It is unthinkable that a company would try to take advantage of someone’s dream of homeownership,” said Attorney General McCollum. “Florida homeowners who are trying to protect their homes from foreclosures shouldn’t have to worry about their mortgage brokers or lenders unfairly profiting at their expense.”
Similar to other mortgage lenders, Countrywide attempted to generate large numbers of mortgage loans for resale on the secondary mortgage market. In doing so, the company purportedly originated loans with little concern about whether the borrower could afford and maintain payments on these loans. In the process, the company allegedly eased or ignored its own underwriting standards and encouraged borrowers to enter into “teaser” rates while concealing or misrepresenting that much larger payments would become due.
PRESS RELEASE by the Florida Attorney General
Lawsuit alleges code evictions targeted Latinos
(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., July 01, 2008)
-- It was just getting dark on the night of the March 8, 2006, raid.
Elena Diego was cooking dinner in the three-bedroom apartment she shared with her husband and five children in Lake Worth. There was loud pounding on the door and suddenly several uniformed men swarmed into her kitchen: At least two were Lake Worth police officers and two were city code enforcers who started snapping photos.
In federal court documents, Diego said her family was told to wait in the parking lot, where they found about 100 of their neighbors waiting while their apartments also were being inspected. Diego testified that a voice announced through a police car loudspeaker that they had 30 minutes to leave their homes and that the city was shutting off the electricity and water. Anyone who stayed behind would be arrested.
There was no other explanation.
Diego said in court documents that the men did not tell them they "had the right to refuse entry and they did not tell us what it was they were inspecting."
The Diegos are one of seven families who filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Lake Worth for violating their constitutional rights and federal fair housing laws for the "discriminatory conduct" and "selective use of code enforcement procedures" against Latino and Guatemalan neighborhoods to force people to evacuate their homes. It also said the city used "police officers to coerce or intimidate" people to leave "with little or no notice."
FULL STORY in The Sun-Sentinel
State anti-bias commission regains HUD funding
(LINCOLN, Neb., June 30, 2008)
-- The federal government will restore funding to a state commission that fights housing discrimination.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development suspended funding to the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission in April.
Federal officials worried that a monthslong rift between the commission and Attorney General Jon Bruning would keep some people, particularly illegal immigrants, from getting protection the law guarantees.
FULL STORY by Action 3 News
Sober house vote set in St. Paul
(ST. PAUL, Minn., June 30, 2008)
-- After months of discussion, the St. Paul city council is set to vote on an ordinance regulating sober houses on Wednesday.
City councilmember Russ Stark explained in a telephone interview that, at present, “There’s no registration per se. There’s 34 or 35 sober houses that have been identified, meaning they have self-identified with the building inspectors. There’s likely to be more than that out there.”
Under St. Paul zoning laws, any housing unit can have up to four unrelated adults. The Federal Fair Housing Act protects people with disabilities, requiring that the city make reasonable accommodations for them.
“With the new proposal,” Stark said, “there would be a form that a new sober house would be asked to fill out — a request for reasonable accommodation form. It would ask how many residents would be living in the unit and basic contact information for the operator. It would also include information about parking. It’s a request for reasonable accommodation to bypass the 4-adult limit.”
FULL STORY in The Daily Planet
Fair Housing Council of Orange County names new Chief Operating Officer
(SANTA ANA, Calif., June 27, 2008)
-- The Board of Directors of the Fair Housing Council of Orange County announced today that it has named Denise Y. Cato to the previously vacant position of Chief Operating Officer of the nonprofit housing counseling agency. Cato steps into the most senior management role in the absence of D. Elizabeth Pierson, the President/Chief Executive Officer who was placed on administrative leave by the Board of Directors earlier this month. Cato will be responsible for the day to day operations of the agency, ensuring compliance with city and government contracts from various Orange County cities and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the County of Orange and other financial supporters of the agency.
Cato has more than 18 years experience in the fair housing arena and has worked for various fair housing agencies including the San Fernando Fair Housing Council, Fair Housing Foundation in Long Beach, the Westside Fair Housing Council and the Fair Housing Council of Orange County. Prior to joining the Fair Housing Council, Cato was the assistant to the executive vice president at the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles where she worked in the legal department and assisted with mediations and conciliations between apartment owners and landlords and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
PRESS RELEASE by the Fair Housing Council of Orange County
Md. condo officials charged with housing discrimination
(CAMERON GROVE, Md., June 26, 2008)
-- The leadership of a condominium in Cameron Grove and its management company have been charged with housing discrimination following complaints by two disabled owners.
The Maryland Commission on Human Relations filed the charges in March after the owners, who both have difficulty walking, said they were refused keys to a side door that would provide easier access to their building, MCHR assistant general counsel Patricia A. Wood said.
The condo’s board of directors and its Fort Washington-based management company, H&E Management Associates Ltd., refused due to security concerns, said David C. Gardner, a Rockville lawyer representing both the board and the management company.
FULL STORY in The Gazette
Justice Department files fair housing lawsuit against Pa. landlords
(WASHINGTON, June 25, 2008)
-- The Justice Department yesterday filed suit against the owners and managers of The Mill, an apartment complex in Scranton, Pa., for having and enforcing policies that discriminate against families with children in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, alleges that the defendants, Gerard Joyce, Katie Joyce, Daniel Joyce, Normandy Holdings LLC, Lofts at the Mill LP, and Lofts GP LLC, had a policy of not allowing families with children. The complaint also alleges that, even after being informed that their policy was discriminatory, defendants continued to distribute flyers and publish advertisements containing a "21 yrs. or older" restriction for The Mill. In response to a request by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ( HUD ), the Fair Housing Council of Montgomery County conducted fair-housing testing at the Mill. Fair housing testing is the practice of having individuals who pose as renters for the purpose of gathering information about possible discriminatory practices in the rental or apartments. During the tests, the defendants provided the testers with materials containing the "21yrs. or older" restriction.
"Families should not have to face discrimination as they look for a home. The Fair Housing Act ensures that families with children have the right to live in communities of their choice." said Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
PRESS RELEASE by the Department of Justice
Unfair housing complaints on the rise
(CHARLESTON, S.C., June 25, 2008)
-- Finding decent affordable housing these days can be tough. But more and more people say it’s becoming even tougher because they're being discriminated against
The Fair Housing Act was introduced exactly 40 years ago but lately fair housing laws are being broken more and more often.
George Bresnihan answers the Trident Urban League's fair housing line every day, taking numerous calls from people who live in substandard conditions.
"I just had one this morning from James Island, a disabled couple rented a place. The place has fleas, roaches, termites. They rented a trailer. It's dirty all around and the land lord promised to make certain changes,” Bresnihan explains.
FULL STORY by News 4
Vital part of housing bill is brainchild of banks
(WASHINGTON, June 25, 2008)
-- A key provision of the housing bill now awaiting action in the Senate -- and widely touted as offering a lifeline to distressed homeowners -- was initially suggested to Congress by lobbyists for major banks facing their own huge losses from the subprime mortgage crisis, according to congressional staff members and bank officials.
Credit Suisse, a large investment bank heavily invested in mortgage-backed securities, proposed allowing hundreds of thousands of homeowners to refinance their mortgages with lower-cost government-insured loans, relieving financial institutions of the troubled debt.
After the bank proposed this to Congress in January, it became known as the "Credit Suisse plan" among congressional staffers and lobbyists. It later formed the basis of housing provisions in both the House and Senate.
FULL STORY in The Washington Post
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