Fair Housing

Fair Housing Posters

If you are looking for fair housing posters for your business office or any other venue, here are the simpliest ways to obtain posters.  1) Call the HUD Clearinghouse at 800-767-7468.  Ask for HUD Publications# 928.1 (English) and 928.1A (Spanish).  If you are in Arizona, the Arizona Attorney General's Office has created an 8.5 x11 fair housing poster you can download.  The website for the English version is http://www.azag.gov/civil_rights/HousingPoster.pdf and the site for the Spanish language version is http://www.azag.gov/civil_rights/HousingPosterSpanish.pdf

We are nearing the end of 2009.  It's been a tough year for many of us and we can only trust that 2010 will be better.  Happy Holidays to you all and best wishes for a terrific 2010!

Lead Hazard Education

Besides an ambitious fair housing outreach, education and enforcement effort, the Southwest Fair Housing Council also houses and supports the Don't Borrow Trouble(r) program and a Lead Hazard Education program (in collaboration with the Cityof Tucson).  Pictured here is Lisa
Giannini, the Lead Hazard Education Program Coordinator, as she explains the hazards of lead, particularly with regard to children seven years of age and younger, in front of a portable and interactive lead hazard display which targets children.

For more information about the hazard of lead in paint, certain candies and folks remedies, as well as information about lead testing for children and lead abatement in housing, contact Lisa at 520-798-1568.

Mortgage Crisis and Resources For Help

Some would say the mortgage crisis problem in Arizona is beginning to correct.  Others, however, point to the fact that Arizona is second only to Nevada in the number of foreclosures and assert that the situation with foreclosures has not improved.

For those folks who are presently struggling with mortgage issues, help is out there.  One resource that would likely be particularly helpful is the Don't Borrow Trouble(r) hotline at 520-792-3087.  The people staffing the line can provide information directly and/or direct callers to housing counselors who can serve as a liaison between the lender and the borrower.  In addition, the Arizona Foreclosure Help-Line at 877-448-1211 (operated by the Arizona Dept. of Housing) is a toll-free resource. 

If you need help and have access to the Internet, check out http://www.azpbs.org/mortgagecrisis/event.htm for detailed information and assistance.  For a list of housing counselors, to to the AZ Dept of Housing webvsite at http://www.housingaz.com and for more information on the federal effort to help out homeowners, go to http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov.  At any rate, don't wait.  Act now if you're having financial problems and you are in danger of losing your home.

SWFHC Gearing Up For A Busy Fall and Winter!

There are lots of exciting opportunities on tap for the coming fiscal year, June 30, 2009-July1, 2010!   The Don't Borrow Trouble(r) - Pima County program continues to tackle the tough issue of foreclosure prevention and intervention.  Check out the DBT(r) website at http://www.dbtaz.org for all things financial!  Seriously, there is a tremendous amount of information on the website that can help folks struggling with financial problems included, but not limited to, mortgage foreclosure or the possibility of foreclosure. 

SWFHC's outreach and education program continues to offer free fair housing education statewide.  Workshops are available for housing providers and consumers, alike.  As a real estate school authorized through the Arizona Dept of Real Estate, SWFHC also offers fair housing classes for continuing education credit.   Workshops and training sessions are available in both English and Spanish.  Monthly fair housing orientation and refresher workshops are offered free of charge from 2:30-4:00PM the second Wednesdayof the month at SWFHC's main office, 2030 E. Broadway, Ste. 101 in Tucson.  Call ahead to 520-798-1568 to reserve a space in the workshop.

Questions or concerns about the fair housing laws and how they do or don't apply to you or to your situation?  Don't hesitate to contact us via email at swfhc@dakotacom.net or give us a call at 888-624-4611 or 520-798-1568.  We're standing by to help!

Arizona Fair Housing Partnership Receives HUD Recognition

 

Congratulations to the public and private partners that comprise the Arizona Fair Housing Partnership on receipt of a Proclamation issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C.  The Proclamati0n cited the AFHP's extraordinary success in bringing together representatives of federal, state and municipal government, the non-profit sector, and the housing industry to promote full and fair housing opportunity throughout greater Arizona.  Charles Hauptman, director of HUD's Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Region IX office in San Francisco,  presented the Proclamation to Shawna Tarboro, AFHP Chair, at the annual Fair Housing Month event in Phoenix on April 15, 2009.

Well Done!

Free Fair Housing Education

SWFHC continues to offer free fair housing education for both the public and private sectors - including three-hour, continuing education classes for REALTORS(r).   Workshops can be as brief as 90 minutes.  FH presentations and overviews at meetings and other gatherings are available for whatever timeframe works for the hosting group.

In addition, SWFHC provides free monthly Fair Housing Orientation and Refresher sessions at the SWFHC office, 2030 E. Broadway, Ste. 101 in Tucson.  The sessions are the second Wednesday of each month from 2:30-4:00PM.  Pre-registration is strongly suggested to ensure a seat in the workshop - sessions fill up quickly!  Dates for upcoming workshops are:  May 13, June 10, July 8, August 12 and September 8, 2009.  Call 520-798-1568 to pre-register.

SWFHC staff will also come to your site - including your rental complex - to provide no cost fair housing training for your staff.  Call 520-798-1568 or 888-624-4611 to arrange a time/date.  SWFHC is funded to provide FH education throughout greater Arizona.  Workshops are available in English and Spanish.

APRIL 09 IS FAIR HOUSING MONTH!

April 2009 marks the 41st anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act.   On April 11, 1968, then-President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the Fair Housing Act).  The Act was passed into law by the Congress only a week after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination on April 4.  When passed, the Act prohibited treating people differently - and adversely - in any aspect of housing based on that person's race, color, national origin and religion.  Between 1968 and 1988, Congress revisited the law and, ultimately, through the 1988 Amendments to the Fair Housing Act, added the characteristics of sex, handicap (disability) and familial status (the presence of a child under 18 yrs in a household) as protected classes.  Today, in Federal and State of Arizona Fair Housing law, there are seven protected characteristics:  race, skin color, nation of origin, religion, sex, disability and familial status.  Some local municipalities have opted to lengthen the list the protected classes, e.g. in Tucson, sexual orientation/sexual identity, marital status and age are also protected.

The Fair Housing laws were never designed to provide one group of people an advantage over another, but, rather, to ensure a level playing field among otherwise qualified buyers, homeowners or renters.  The Federal Fair Housing Act includes the declaration that every American deserves a "decent home and a suitable living environment."

Fair housing workshops and classes - in English and Spanish - are available through SWFHC at no cost, as is general information.  Don't hesitate to contact us at 888-624-4611 or 520-798-1458 or at swfhc@dakotacom.net.  Y hablamos espanol...

Welcome Back and Happy 2009!

Welcome back and best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous 2009!  A couple of pieces of information that may be helpful...

The website for the AZ Dept of Housing (ADOH) has changed to www.azhousing.gov and the email addresses for ADOH staff are now:   firstname.lastname@azhousing.gov

Be sure to follow this fair housing blog throughout 2009 for information on fair housing-related issues and updates on case law.  Remember that fair housing training, workshops and classes are available free of charge.  For more information or to schedule a session, call us at 520-798-1568 or 888-624-4611. 

Best Wishes For A Peaceful and Prosperous 2009!

Our best wishes for a truly wonder-filled holiday.  We will return in 2009 revitalized and  ready to address the myriad fair housing-related needs in our local and extended communities.

Should you need information regarding housing discrimination and, specifically, about your right to be free of unlawful discrimination as you select housing or enjoy your present living situation, don't hesitate to contact us:  Southwest Fair Housing Council, 2030 E. Broadway, Ste. 101, Tucson AZ  85719, 888-624-4611 or 520-798-1568.  Hablamos espanol...

Should you find yourself in need of help with post-holiday financial problems, particularly regarding your mortgage and your credit card debt, contact the Don't Borrow Trouble(r)-Pima County program at 520-792-3087 or go on-line at www.dbtaz.org.

FAIR DEBT COLLECTION

The following information is excerpted from a brochure titled "FTC Facts For Consumers, Fair Debt Collection" which can be found on the Federal Trade Commission website at www.ftc.gov:

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires that debt collectors treat debtors  fairly and prohibits certain methods of debt collection. 

Common questions about debt collection include:  What debts are covered?  Who is a debt collector? How may a debt collector contact someone? Can a person stop a debt collector from contacting them? May a debt collector contact others about an individual's debt? What must the debt collector tell you about the debt? May a debt collector continue to contact you if you believe you do not owe the money in question? What types of debt collection practices are prohibited? What control does the debtor have over the payment of debts? What can someone do if they believe a debt collector violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act? 

These are legitimate questions and they deserve clear answers.  Go to the FTC website above and review or download a copy of the brochure mentioned above.  More immediately, don't hesitate to contact the Don't Borrow Trouble(r)-Pima County office at 792-3087  for a detailed explanation of consumer rights and responsibilities.