On June 27, 2014, the Fair Housing Project, in conjunction with the North Carolina Bar Association, is sponsoring a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program titled “Home, Sweet Home: Litigating Fair Housing Claims (Based on Domestic Violence, Sexual Harassment, and Unequal Access).” The event will take place from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm at the NC Bar …
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Pelham, NC, Landlord Order to Pay $36,000 for Race Discrimination
On April 10, 2014, a Virginia landlord with property in Pelham, NC, was ordered to pay $36,000 for discriminating against prospective African American tenants. The landlord, John Sylvania Matthews, III, resides in Danville, VA, and rents property in both Virginia and North Carolina. The case arose in September 2013, when an African American woman called him about a …
City of Dubuque to End Discriminatory Residency Preference in Housing Program
On April 15, 2014, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it had reached an agreement with the City of Dubuque, Iowa, to settle allegations that the City discriminated against African Americans in the administration of its Housing Choice (“Section 8”) Voucher Program. In a 2011 review, HUD had found that …
Study Finds Racial Discrimination in On-Line Advertising
A working paper released by two Harvard Business School professors found price discrimination in on-line listings on the Airbnb.com website, which advertises itself as “a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world.” According to the study, African Americans who listed housing for rent in New York charged (and …
HUD Finds City of Dallas in Noncompliance with Fair Housing Laws
In a 29-page letter dated November 22, 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found that the City of Dallas, TX, was in noncompliance with a number of fair housing and civil rights laws. The finding came as a result of a complaint filed by Curtis Lockey and Craig MacKenzie, affordable housing developers, who had …
HUD, Deutsche Bank Subsidiary Settle Lending Discrimination Case
On November 5, 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it had reached a settlement with MortgageIT, Inc., Deutsche Bank subsidiary, regarding claims that the lender had discriminated in making mortgage loans. HUD had alleged that the lender discriminated against African American and Hispanic borrowers with practices that led to African Americans and …
Fair Housing Project Testing Coordinator Position Announcement
The Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) is currently looking for a Testing Coordinator to assist us in our systemic and complaint-based testing program. Applications are due by November 11, 2013. For the full position announcement, please visit the LANC website by clicking here.
NC residential segregation affects housing, environmental justice, education
A September 2013 report by the UNC Center for Civil Rights examines the connection between residential segregation in North Carolina and access to essential services and opportunities. “The State of Exclusion: An Empirical Analysis of the Legacy of Segregated Communities in North Carolina” maps the potential impacts of “community exclusion” in five areas: housing, environmental …
National Study Finds Housing Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples
The first-ever national study of housing discrimination against same-sex couples, released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on June 18, 2013, found that same-sex couples experience unequal treatment in the rental of housing more often than heterosexual couples in every metropolitan area studied. The study further found that gay male couples experience …
Study Finds More Subtle Housing Discrimination Persists in US
A new report released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on June 11, 2013, finds that while blatant acts of housing discrimination have declined in the U.S., “more subtle forms of housing denial stubbornly persist” in both the rental and sales markets. The study, titled “Housing Discrimination Against Racial and Ethnic Minorities 2012,” was …