Fair Housing

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.

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...

Arizona Fair Housing Partnership

The Arizona Fair Housing Partnership (AFHP) represents a group of over 30 public and private entities statewide that are committed to promoting full and fair housing opportunity throughout greater Arizona.  Members include representatives from municipal government, the housing industry, nonprofit agencies and other interested supporters. 

New partners are welcome and encouraged to find out more about the Partnership and its activities.  For details, go to the website (click on the Arizona Fair Housing Partnership title under Fair Housing Links in the resource list to the right of this posting) or contact the present Partnership chair, Shawna Tarboro, at 602-252-3423.

SWFHC Fall/Winter 2008 Newsletter

To access the most recent agency newsletter, click  here or go to the Current Affairs category on the list on the left side of the main page...

SWFHC is proud to announce that the agency has been designated as a 2008 HUD-Phoenix' Most Valuable Partner in recognition of "Exemplary Practices in Promoting HUD's Initiative of Promoting Equal Opportunity in Housing"...The award was bestowed at the annual HUD Open House and Award Ceremony in Phoenix on September 18, 2008.

An American Nightmare: Foreclosures and Their Impact in Metropolitan Tucson

SWFHC has completed a comprehensive 2008 Foreclosure Study on behalf of Pima County and the City of Tucson.  Click here to access the 37 page Executive Summary. 

Fair Housing Welcome

Welcome to the new blog for fair housing issues! 

The Southwest Fair Housing Council - based in Tucson, Arizona - has served greater Arizona's fair housing needs since 1986.  Presently, the Council has contracts with the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, the Arizona Dept. of Housing, Pima County, and the City of Tucson to provide fair housing enforcement, education and outreach programs and services statewide.  In addition to the Council's fair housing efforts, the agency hosts the "Don't Borrow Trouble(r)-Pima Co" campaign to promote fair lending practices and the City of Tucson's Lead Hazard Education program.

Our mission is to identify and address unlawful discrimination in housing.  Federal and State of Arizona law makes it unlawful to treat people differently - and adversely - in any aspect of housing based on the person's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability or familial status (the presence of a child under 18 in the household).

On this blog, you will find resource information about affordable housing, links to additional information regarding housing discrimination and the landlord-tenant relationship, and lots more!  Let us know if there is information you needed but were not able to find on our site.                  

Contact information:

Southwest Fair Housing Council, 2030 E. Broadway, Ste. 101, Tucson, AZ  85719, 888-624-4611 or 520-798-1568, swfhc@dakotacom.net.  In addition, the Council has a second office in Phoenix at 845 N. Third Avenue, 2nd floor, Phoenix, AZ  85003, 602-252-3423.

Your comments are welcome!