June 8, 2009 — Miami Valley Fair Housing Center President/CEO Jim McCarthy was re-elected today as chair of the board of directors of the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) at NFHA’s annual conference “Fair Housing in the 21st Century: Realizing a More Perfect Union” being held in Washington, DC.

Miami Valley Fair Housing Center partners with the Access Center for Independent Living and the Dayton Area Board of REALTORS® to help the disabled find homes

by Tim Tresslar, Dayton Daily News

April 5 — Three local organizations have launched a tool aimed at connecting buyers and renters with housing that includes specialized features for the physically disabled.

The Dayton Area Board of REALTORS® will add detailed accessibility information on properties included in its Multiple Listing Service. The board added this feature in collaboration with the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center and the Access Center for Independent Living.

A form available through the board will allow agents and brokers to inventory a property’s accessibility features, such as wheelchair ramps and handrails, and highlight them in a property’s multiple listing service entry.

Officials with the local board and the National Association of REALTORS® say it’s the first program of its kind operated by a board of REALTORS® in the country. In addition to linking people with the housing, John Zimmerman, vice president of MVFHC, said the form and the specialized listings also will help real estate agents and builders see what specific features actually make a home accessible.

Zimmerman and Greg Kramer, assistant director of the Access Center, started working on this initiative more than a year ago as they continually saw how hard it was to find homes outfitted with wheelchair ramps and other features.

The form started as a list of 120 items, compiled through brainstorming, research and consultations with architects.

Zimmerman and Kramer winnowed down the list further by consulting with the ultimate end users, people who have physical disabilities and the board approved its use for the MLS system. DABR president Harry Vearn in a statement said the new initiative shows the board’s dedication to fair housing principles.

The number of people with disabilities is expected to grow locally and nationally, due in part to an increase in the number of elderly and wounded veterans, Zimmerman and Kramer said.

Marie Kindrick Awards presented at Fair Housing Luncheon

On April 2, more than 170 people turned out for the 2009 Fair Housing Luncheon, an annual event presented by the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center and the Dayton Area Board of REALTORS®. During this entertaining gathering, the annual Marie Kindrick Fair Housing Awards were presented. The awards, named after the REALTOR® who committed herself to working for the rights of the under-represented, honor individuals who champion equal opportunity and diversity. The Community Volunteer award went to Ann Shafor, the REALTOR® award was presented to Sheila Crane, and Greg Kramer took home the Community Professional Award.

Ann Shafor - 2009 Community Volunteer Award

Ann Shafor is the Chairperson of the Robert E. Kolze Housing Justice Fund, a non-profit organization based in Montgomery County, Ohio. The Kolze Fund provides funds for the litigation of significant housing issues to aid low and moderate income families by eliminating prejudice and discrimination and combating community deterioration.

Mrs. Shafor holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Master of Community Planning and worked for more than 29 years at the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC). During her tenure at MVRPC, she skillfully managed and provided leadership to a number of nationally recognized planning initiatives including the nation’s first Regional Fair Share Housing Plan (1970), the first HEW sponsored Human Service Delivery System Innovation Partnership (1974), and a wide range of collaborative water management initiatives over the 1980s and 1990s.

Her planning products have provided recognition to planning as a profession as well as national/state recognition including the Fair Share Housing Plan that was selected for Horizon on Display, HUD/ARBA for Community Achievement (1975), the Groundwater Protection Strategy that received the OPC/APA Outstanding Project Award (1991) and the Fair Share Housing Plan that was named a National Planning Landmark, APA/AICP (2001). She retired from MVRPC in 1995, but since then has remained active in the community through private consulting and volunteer work with various organizations.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s Ann was at the forefront of the fair housing movement in the Miami Valley. In April 1970, together with Dale Bertsch and colleagues she designed and began implementing the first regional housing planning program in the nation. In June 1970, she prepared the Housing Needs in the Miami Valley Region in preparation for Fair Share Housing Plan development, and she was responsible for completing the initial draft of The Housing Plan for the Miami Valley Region in the summer of 1970.

In December 1978, Ann became a founding member of the Housing Justice Fund, now known as the Robert E. Kolze Housing Justice Fund. In late 1979 and early 1980, she was one of the original incorporators of the Montgomery County Community Development Corporation, which we now know as County Corp.

In December 1980, Ann was instrumental in the creation of the Montgomery County Fair Housing Center, the predecessor to the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, which was then housed within MVRPC. One of the initial efforts of the Center was to file the Dunn v. Midwestern Indemnity Insurance (472 F Supp. 1106 (SD Ohio 1979); 88 FRD 191 (SD Ohio 1980), a landmark insurance redlining case that resulted in several insurance companies settling with plaintiffs over their refusal to insure properties in areas of West Dayton that had been deemed “too risky.” This effort also provided one of the sources for data for the preparation of the Community Reinvestment Act, which was being written and developed at the time.

In 1993 Ann was named as a member of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Water Quality for the State of Ohio by Governor George Voinovich. Other honors that Ann holds include the Dayton Daily News’ Top 10 Women Award (1971) for her work on the Fair Share Plan, the YWCA Pathfinder Award (1984) for guiding their strategic plan, having her Fair Share Plan named National Historic Planning Landmark at the APA/AICP national conference in 2001, and being selected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners in 2003. Ann and her husband Tom live in Spring Valley Township.

Greg Kramer - 2009 Community Professional Award

Greg Kramer is an energetic and relentless advocate for improving the lives of people living with disabilities. He is committed to the slogan: “Fair Housing, It is not an option, it’s the Law.” He puts this slogan to use every day.

Greg has been employed at the Access Center for Independent Living the past ten years and has been the Assistant Director for the past seven years. As the assistant director, housing issues is one of his areas of responsibility. Greg continually advocates for increasing the number of affordable, accessible and integrated housing units in the Miami Valley area. He advocates with public officials and private businesses, letting them know that accessibility is the best option for the communities they represent. For example, Greg and the staff of the Access Center have worked with the Dayton Metropolitan Housing Authority (DMHA) to come into compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. DMHA will spend 7 million on the project over the next 5 years nearly doubling the amount of accessible units available for their constituents. The two organizations, the Access Center for Independent Living and DMHA, have formed a permanent partnership to monitor accessibility issues and needs.

Another ongoing partnership that Greg has developed is with the Dayton Area Board of REALTORS®. Working with the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center and the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Committee, Greg has led the way to develop an Accessibility Features Form for the MLS. This form will assist local REALTORS® to include the accessibility features of the homes they list for sale without any additional cost.

Greg works with many other groups to promote housing choice. He works with the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) to include Visitability into their QAP. He serves on the Home Choice housing workgroup for the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services and the housing workgroup for the Unified Long Term Care Budget for the State of Ohio. Greg also leads a local housing group that serves the City of Dayton, the City of Kettering, and Montgomery County. This group has been meeting for the past four years and is working on solving the growing problem of the lack of housing options for people with disabilities. This working group brings together many housing professionals with the expertise to comment on new proposals and solutions that are developed to fit the needs of local communities. Recently Greg has been presenting and reviewing plans with this housing group for local laws and programs which could be enacted to increase accessibility in newly built single family, two-family and three-family residential structures.

Greg is a graduate from Wright State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts.

Sheila M. Crane - 2009 REALTOR® Award

As a REALTOR® and Community Development Specialist, Sheila Crane has worked with various community development and non-profit organizations in an effort to secure housing for some of our most challenged and underserved citizens. Sheila is currently serving a second term as a Miami Valley In-Ovations board member. She has previously served as Women’s Council of REALTORS’® chairperson of the Education and Political committees and she is currently the WCR President-Elect.

While serving on the Executive Board of Miami Valley United Methodist Community Care, Sheila served six years as Executive Secretary and the chair of the Housing Committee. She has been actively involved in addressing the issues of vacant and blighted properties and working with the city of Dayton’s Orion Solutions project. While working on a Doctorate in Urban Ministry and Community Development, Sheila attended national conferences addressing vacant properties and community revitalization and stabilization. Numerous trips to Washington, D.C. have provided opportunities to facilitate foreclosure intervention practices while working with legislators on Capital Hill. Sheila was awarded the honor of being the 2005 Dayton Area Board of REALTORS® Community Service recipient for her work with seniors and their housing needs. Presenting twice a year for the University of Dayton’s Ethics, and the Faith & Justice classes, Sheila’s presentations usually focus on senior fraud, predatory practices, mortgage fraud, and foreclosure intervention.

Sheila has been involved in working with The Other Place and Homeless to Home in bringing Rapid Re-housing to Dayton and Montgomery County. Working with certified Housing Counselors has inspired Sheila to become a Facilitator for NeighborWorks America which is the non-profit arm of Congress.

Sheila was able to retire in 2005 as a Delta Airlines International In-Flight Service Coordinator. She has been married to Dale Crane for fifteen years; they are the proud parents of one daughter, Ciara, who will turn thirteen on Easter Sunday.

Jim McCarthy, President/CEO of Miami Valley Fair Housing, Inc. (MVFHC), will appear on the “WHIO Reports” radio program airing this Sunday, March 15, 2009. “WHIO Reports,” hosted by Jim Barrett, will profile MVFHC as well as the upcoming Fair Housing Month Celebration and the Marie Kindrick Fair Housing Awards.

You can listen on the radio or stream the audio from your computer. The program airs on Sunday on the following stations:

Presentation on predatory loans is now available

2008 Community Reinvestment Institute program

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced December 12, 2007, that Miami Valley Fair Housing Center (MVFHC) has been awarded a three-year performance-based grant for its work

against housing discrimination and helping victims of predatory mortgage loans. At MVFHC's 2007 annual meeting, HUD Cincinnati Field Office Director James Cunningham presented MVFHC President/CEO Jim McCarthy with a check for the first year's installment of the grant.

The grant awarded to MVFHC is one of only thirty-nine multi-year grants awarded to the highest performing of HUD's more than 100 Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) agencies. Multi-year funding allows groups that maintain excellent performance ratings to continue their activities without interruption. Groups not in this category must submit requests for funding each year.

HUD's grant to MVFHC of $275,000 per year for three years, for a total of $825,000, will enable MVFHC to provide complaint intake, investigation and referral for alleged victims of discrimination. Read more and see photos.

National Fair Housing Alliance president to speak in Dayton about discrimination in housing sales

NFHA published the results of the investigation in their 2006 report Unequal Opportunity — Perpetuating Housing Segregation in America. Ms. Smith will provide illustrations of the discriminatory practices found and their impact on communities, and she will offer direction and guidance to real estate agents about ways to comply with the Fair Housing Act.

The presentation, which is open to the public, costs $30 per person; real estate agents can receive CE credit for attendance. For more information and to register, contact DABR at 937-223-0900.

National Fair Housing Alliance releases housing discrimination data and denounces crisis of segregation

The National Fair Housing Alliance released its annual trends report this month, which paints a comprehensive and alarming picture of how illegal housing practices by real estate companies perpetuate residential segregation in America. The report details an egregiously high incidence of racial steering across the United States even now, almost forty years after the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act.

NFHA's 2006 Fair Housing Trends Report describes its multi-year real estate sales testing program in twelve metropolitan areas, which revealed striking patterns of racial steering nationwide through hundreds of tests. In fact, NFHA's tests found racial steering to be the norm, with a steering rate of 87 percent, when testers were given an opportunity to see homes. Whites were limited to viewing homes in predominately White neighborhoods and discouraged from visiting homes in interracial neighborhoods. African-Americans and Latinos lost their right to see homes of their choosing across a wide spectrum of White communities. They were limited to seeing homes in neighborhoods in which their race or national origin predominated.

Now hiring

Fair Housing Specialist

The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center is seeking applicants for a Fair Housing Specialist position. The position will implement the Center’s core programs. A BA or BS in an appropriate discipline (Liberal Arts, Sociology, Psychology, Urban Studies, etc.) and/or equivalent work experience in equal opportunity and fair housing issues required. All applicants must have a desire to work and interact with, as well as demonstrate respect for all individuals and groups without regard to race, religion, sex, color, national origin, sexual orientation, familial status, or disability. Position includes generous benefits. For more information about applying, see the job posting on our Hiring page.

MVFHC supports affirmative action and is dedicated to promoting equal employment opportunity.

Anniversaries of the Federal Fair Housing Act and of Miami Valley Fair Housing Center commemorated in local newspapers

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A special commemorative insert celebrating the 40 years since the passage of the Federal Fair Housing Act and the 15 years since the founding of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center Inc. (MVFHC) was produced by Cox Ohio Publishing for distribution March 27, 2008, in the Dayton Daily News and the Springfield News-Sun.

Reproducing letters of congratulation from Congressman Mike Turner and Senator Sherrod Brown, the insert has articles on the history of the enactment of Civil Rights Act of 1968 as well as the history of MVFHC and of the Fair Housing Movement in general.

MVFHC paralegal Nicole Wilson (left) and Enforcement Coordinator Anita Schmaltz discuss work in the office

John Zimmerman,
MVFHC Vice President
of Education and Outreach

In addition the insert includes an article about accommodations landlords are required to make for companion and service animals for the disabled.

The insert is available online here, either in its entirety in PDF format or page-by-page in JPG or PDF formats by clicking the links to the right.

MVFHC's building, located at 21-23 E. Babbitt St.

Fair housing and civil rights groups file federal lawsuit in post-Katrina housing discrimination case

From the

November 12, 2008 — Civil rights and fair housing groups filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development and the Louisiana Recovery Authority. The suit alleges that the Road Home, Louisiana’s Hurricane Katrina recovery program, discriminates against African-American homeowners in New Orleans.

The Road Home, an $11 billion federally-funded program, is the largest housing redevelopment program in U.S. history. The suit is being filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of five individuals representing a class of more than 20,000 African-American homeowners and two fair housing organizations, the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center and the National Fair Housing Alliance.

“Forty years after the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act, residential segregation still permeates New Orleans,” said James Perry, executive director of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center. “Homes in communities of color still have lower values than those in white communities even when the condition, style and quality of the homes are comparable. Louisiana’s program builds on this history of discrimination. Only when housing opportunities are created for all residents of New Orleans will our recovery truly be successful.”

HUD is responsible for overseeing Louisiana’s use of federal disaster recovery funding and assuring that the funds are used to promote equal housing opportunity.

“HUD has the duty, authority, and ability to make sure Louisiana distributes funds for the Road Home program fairly,” said Shanna L. Smith, President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance. “Instead, HUD allowed a formula that is biased and threatens to undermine the recovery efforts of African-American homeowners. As such, it failed to take into account the legacy of racial discrimination in the housing market, which has resulted in systematically lower values for homes in communities of color.”

The plaintiffs in the case are represented by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Washington D.C. plaintiff’s law firm, Cohen Milstein, and the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center.

“African American homeowners in New Orleans are being unfairly prevented from reclaiming their homes by the discriminatory design and implementation of the Road Home program. African Americans are facing huge gaps between the amount of their Road Home grant awards versus the cost to rebuild their homes when compared to their white counterparts,” said John Payton, LDF President and Director-Counsel.

According to Cohen Milstein’s Joseph M. Sellers, head of the firm’s Civil Rights and Employment Practice, “HUD and Louisiana have perpetrated a cruel hoax on African-American victims of the Katrina and Rita hurricanes by offering assistance that Congress intended would permit them to rebuild their destroyed homes but which falls far short of its noble promise by linking it to the depressed values of their pre-storm segregated housing rather than to the cost of reconstruction.”

The discrimination, in this case, is the result of the formula used to determine Road Home grants. Grant awards are based on the lower of two-values: the pre-storm value of the home, or the cost of damage. Home values in most predominantly African-American neighborhoods are lower than the values of similar homes in white neighborhoods. As a result, the grants for African-American homeowners are more likely to be based upon the pre-storm value of their homes, leaving them without enough money to rebuild. In contrast, white homeowners are more likely to receive grants based on the actual cost of repairs. The lawsuit filed today seeks to eliminate this disparity.

Copies of the case complaint and related materials are available at http://www.gnofairhousing.org.

Issue 5 passes by Huge Margin!

Yes: 64%, No: 36% win signals the end of the debt trap

From

Breaking Ground,
the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio's newsletter

The national payday lending lobby waged one of the dirtiest, most costly and deceptive campaigns in recent history. High-priced lawyers failed twice on petition summary language that the Attorney General found neither fair nor truthful.

Snapshot of a Failed Campaign
Ohioans for Financial Freedom spent approximately $22 million in their bid to continue charging 391% APR on payday loans. Here’s where some of the money went:
Public Relations	$175,000	Advertising	$7,148,000
Legal Fees	$449,000	Polling/focus groups	$213,000
Grassroots	$934,000	Petitions	$3,088,000
Consulting	$123,000	Direct Mail	$1,320,000

Petition gatherers lied and bribed voters into signing. Misleading television ads featured a fake farmer and his fan belt, a soccer mom who clearly wasn’t, and a guy in boxer shorts who ran around the screen like a plucked chicken awaiting the butcher.

The media saw through it all. And while there are hundreds of articles and editorials to choose from that sum up the campaign, the Cleveland Plain Dealer possibly said it best in an editorial that ran November 5:

It didn’t matter how many millions of dollars payday lenders spent in their desperate attempt to continue charging 391 percent interest rates on short-term loans, Ohioans weren’t about to be fooled by their deceitful campaign. Voters Tuesday dealt the payday lending industry one of the most humiliating election defeats imaginable, overwhelmingly approving a measure (Issue 5) capping APR interest rates at 28 percent.

Proponents of State Issue 5 had a lot of help from churches and newspapers (every big-city daily endorsed its passage), but the campaign itself only spent about $500,000. The payday lenders spent about $22 million. But in the end, their dirty money didn’t matter. If the lenders had spent $50 million opposing Issue 5, it still would have passed — big.

The lenders made a pathetic attempt to convince voters that opposing Issue 5 would save jobs. But Issue 5 was never about jobs. It was always about fairness, about preventing the payday lenders from preying on Ohio’s most vulnerable citizens. Ohioans understood that. The payday lenders and their high-priced consultants didn’t.

Ballot measures in Ohio and Arizona doom deceptive tactics and predatory practices

From the

November 5, 2008 — Ohio and Arizona voters saw through the deception of the payday lending industry at the ballot box Tuesday and voted to reject payday lending in their states, as the trade group used dirty tricks and misleading advertising to try to keep predatory 391 percent annual interest rates legal for payday loans.

Ballot propositions initiated by the industry, supported by over 30 million of their trade groups dollars, and featuring measures that prop up their predatory practices, experienced stunning defeats in both states, as voters recognized the deception in the industry and its advertising. Payday lenders outspent the Ohio grassroots coalition by over 60 to 1, and still lost by a 2 to 1 margin in the vote. In Arizona, the grassroots campaign was outspent about 90 to 1.

“These two citizens ballots are really a mandate for cracking down on payday lending throughout the nation,” said Uriah King, policy associate for Center for Responsible Lending. “You can get no clearer message than a huge majority of voters rejecting 400 percent interest loans. A reasonable two-digit cap is sensible, fair, and it works to keep bad apples out of the consumer lending arena.”

Combating millions of dollars of deceptive advertising, spirited grassroots campaigns in each state took on a national industry that depends on making high-interest loans repeatedly to customers who cannot afford to pay them off for good.

Payday loans are systematically converted into long-term, high-cost debt for working families. The average payday borrower has more than eight transactions per year, costing them more in interest than the original loan. Congress passed a 36 percent cap protecting military families from this practice, and 15 states plus the District of Columbia have chosen to control predatory lending by enforcing interest rates in that range.

Ohio’s new law had no sooner passed when the industry initiated a ballot measure that would have repealed the interest rate cap of 28 percent. Arizona’s current law exempting payday loans from the state’s 36 percent cap on small loans is due to expire in 2010, and lawmakers are unlikely to renew it given its negative impact on borrowers and the economy.

The failure of the payday industry to circumvent state lawmakers in Ohio and Arizona suggests not only that citizens are in the mood to crack down on irresponsible lending practices, but also that people are catching on to the deceptive practices of the industry.

The conventional wisdom for ballot measures is “when in doubt, vote no.” Thus the payday lending industry in Ohio had a big advantage by having the “No” vote. This is only the second time in history of Ohio referenda, established in 1856, that the “Yes” vote won, and victory in this bellwether state sends a strong message to policymakers everywhere.

In Arizona, the payday lenders tried to capitalize on the trend toward reform, going so far as to attack their own practices as unethical. Community groups, business leaders, political leaders of all parties, faith groups, military and consumer advocates endorsed the “No” vote, and news reports and internet bloggers helped spread the word that the reform was false.

To learn more about the payday lending debt trap, visit the Center for Responsible Lending’s web page.

Federal Jury Finds Racial Discrimination in Zanesville Water Case

Ohio Attorney General, Ohio Civil Rights Commission Praise Jury's Verdict

July 11, 2008 — A federal jury has issued a verdict in a case against the City of Zanesville, East Muskingum Water Authority, and Muskingum County. The jury determined that the defendants discriminated against 67 residents living in a predominately African-American neighborhood located just beyond the Zanesville city limits by failing to provide the residents with public water service.

"This decision speaks firmly about the importance of treating citizens with equal respect, regardless of race," said Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers. "We are pleased that relief was provided to those who suffered as the result of discrimination."

The jury determined the city and the county violated state and federal civil rights laws in the provision of water services. The jury awarded a total of more than 10 million dollars in damages to the plaintiffs.

The case began in 2002 when residents of Coal Run, filed a charge of discrimination with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC). The residents alleged they had been denied access to public water service since the 1950's on the basis of their race.

The residents initiated the case after repeated requests, over several decades, for public water service. Each request to the city, county, and township public water service authorities was denied. However, during that same time period, similar requests for public water service were granted and made available to white families located further away.

The OCRC determined in 2003 that these families had been denied public water service due to consideration of their race and issued a formal complaint of discrimination. The OCRC's investigation confirmed that several nearby white neighbors, also residing beyond the city limits, had been enjoying access to public water service from the City of Zanesville for several decades. During that same year, after the complaint of discrimination had been filed, Muskingum County made the provision of public water service available to these residents.

"We are pleased the jury has reaffirmed the principle that all citizens are equal before the law and should not be marginalized or treated as invisible in the provision of governmental services," said OCRC Executive Director G. Michael Payton. "The plaintiffs, like other citizens in Zanesville, are decent, honest, and hard-working persons who wanted nothing more than to be accorded the same privileges and services as their neighbors. No citizen should have to suffer the humiliation and indignity suffered by the plaintiffs in this case."

Payton commended the work of Attorney General Nancy Rogers and her staff in successfully prosecuting this case. "This is precisely the kind of professionalism and commitment that has earned her staff a state-wide reputation for providing high quality legal representation," said Executive Director Payton. "We also commend our investigative staff who worked on the case for their hard work."

"It was an honor and privilege to represent the Commission in this case and to play a role in bringing public water service to the residents of the Coal Run neighborhood," said Steve Schmidt, Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Section. "I remember being in the kitchen of one of the residents when the water service started and thinking this is why I went to law school."

The residents were represented by Relman & Dane PLLC and Jones Day, and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission was represented by the Ohio Attorney General before Honorable Judge Algernon Marbley in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Contacts for additional information:
Ohio Civil Rights Commission: Brandi Klein (614) 644-0244
Ohio Attorney General's Office: Ted Hart (614) 728-4127

HUD Produces Video Messages for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

YouTube and Facebook video will alert consumres about important housing issues

February 23, 2009 — The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it has produced videos designed to educate deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers about their fair housing rights, housing counseling services and loan programs offered by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), hosting the videos on YouTube and Facebook.

In one video, a HUD employee uses sign language to tell his story of refinancing his home through FHA, the largest government insurer of mortgages. In another video, he explains that it's illegal to discriminate in housing based on race, religion, sex, national origin, disability or familial status. All videos encourage viewers to contact HUD by visiting its website, www.hud.gov, for more information.

Viewers who live in Montgomery County and think they've been discriminated against can also contact the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center (MVFHC) at 937-223-6035; viewers who live in the City of Dayton and think they've been discriminated against can contact Dayton's Human Relations Council at 937-333-1403.

Homeowners who are currently in foreclosure can contact the PLS Hotline at 937-222-9671. Homeowners who are not currently in foreclosure can contact the HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton at 937-853-1600.

are so many services available on the internet to help you find a roommate, each offering slightly different things. One service might offer to let you write whatever you want, and another service might help you filter out matches based on individual criteria — such as rent amount or location. With any of these roommate services, what might not be clear are your obligations under the Fair Housing Act, a federal law.

Check out equalhousingonthenet.com to learn how the Fair Housing Act covers advertisements for housing or services related to the provision of housing.

Miami Valley Fair Housing Center sues developer of
the Greene for discrimination against people with disabilities

Investigation reveals violations by Steiner + Associates, et al.

April 30, 2008 – The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council and the National Fair Housing Alliance today filed a housing discrimination lawsuit against Steiner + Associates, a national developer of town centers that contain retail, residential and office spaces. The lawsuit alleges that Steiner, et al., failed to comply with federal accessibility standards in the design and construction of their properties.

The organizations investigated apartment units at Gilbert Court at the Greene in Beavercreek, Ohio, Lofts at Zona Rosa in Kansas City, Missouri, and Bayshore in Glendale, Wisconsin. All of the properties, including 272 individual apartments, were developed by Steiner + Associates and failed to meet the accessibility requirements of fair housing and disability laws. Steiner is developing additional properties in Virginia, Texas and Pennsylvania.

The lawsuit also names Mecham & Apel, Architects, Inc., Development Design Group, Inc., Torti Gallas and Partners, Inc., Messer Construction Co., Corna/Kokosing Construction Co., and others. The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate based on disability, race, color, national origin, religion, sex or familial status.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 51 million Americans (nearly one in five) have some form of disability. Of that number, more than 2.7 million people over the age of 15 years use a wheelchair. Another 7 million use a cane, crutches, a walker or other mobility aid. These numbers are expected to increase as the population ages and wounded veterans return from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The lawsuit alleges that Steiner + Associates, et al., have engaged in a continuous pattern and practice of discrimination against people with disabilities by designing and/or constructing multifamily dwellings inaccessible to people with disabilities. Architectural barriers at these properties include insurmountable thresholds, steps to the bedrooms, narrow hall widths and bathrooms with insufficient clear floor space — all of which prohibit the maneuverability of people in wheelchairs. Apartments also had environmental controls beyond the reach of wheelchair users. In addition, common use areas had accessible routes and passageways, abrupt level changes at thresholds and counter tops that were too high for use by people with wheelchairs.

After an investigation of Gilbert Court at the Greene found multiple units out of compliance with the Fair Housing Act, the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in March 2007. The complaint was referred to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, which found probable cause to conclude that discriminatory practices had occurred at the property and referred the case to the Ohio Attorney General for prosecution. After the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council and the National Fair Housing Alliance identified units at Bayshore and Zona Rosa that were inaccessible to people with disabilities, the fair housing groups joined to file a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

"Steiner was founded over a decade after the passage of the Fair Housing Amendments Act, yet after all these years, people with disabilities continue to face discrimination because of Steiner's inaccessible designs. We will not allow them and their partners to continue harming the community and denying housing to people with disabilities by designing and constructing inaccessible housing." Jim McCarthy – President & CEO, Miami Valley Fair Housing Center

"Town centers are being developed and built all over the country with the benefit of integrating housing and retail in one place. People with disabilities cannot be left out. Accessible housing is an essential means of ensuring that people with disabilities are able to fully participate in community life. It is time for builders and developers to recognize their responsibility and comply with the law and construct housing units that are accessible for everyone." William Tisdale – President & CEO, Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council

"It has been twenty years since the Fair Housing Act was amended to include disability. There cannot be a single valid reason for architects, developers, and builders to continue designing and building inaccessible housing. Steiner + Associates must undo the harm they have caused to these communities." Shanna Smith – President & CEO, National Fair Housing Alliance

President Announces Foreclosure Prevention Program

On February 18, 2009, President Obama announced a comprehensive plan to help responsible homeowners avoid foreclosure by providing affordable and sustainable mortgage loans. The Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan provides for a sweeping loan modification program targeted at borrowers who are at risk of foreclosure because their incomes are not sufficient to make their mortgage payments. It also includes refinance opportunities for borrowers who are current on their mortgage payments but have been unable to refinance because their homes have decreased in value.

Loan modifications

Under the Homeowner Stability Initiative, Treasury will spend up to $75 billion to make mortgage payments affordable and sustainable for middle income American families that are at risk of foreclosure.

Borrowers who are delinquent on the mortgage for their primary residence and borrowers who, due to a loss of income or increase in expenses, are struggling to keep their payments current may be eligible for a loan modification.

Treasury, HUD and other Federal Agencies are working with lenders and nonprofit housing counselors to put all the systems in place to implement this massive program by March 4, 2009. In the meantime, borrowers can get additional information at www.financialstability.gov. This site includes questions and answers that will help homeowners determine if they are eligible for modification assistance.

There is no fee to borrowers for assistance through the Homeowner Stability Initiative. Beware of any organization that attempts to charge a fee for housing counseling or modification of a delinquent loan, especially if they ask for money in advance.

Homeowners who are currently in foreclosure should call the PLS hotline at 937-222-9671. Borrowers who are delinquent but not yet in foreclosure should call the HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton at 937-853-1600, whether or not they believe they are eligible for the Homeowner Stability Initiative.

Refinancing

Under the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, borrowers who are current on their mortgage but have been unable to refinance because their house has decreased in value, may now have the opportunity to refinance into a 30 year, fixed rate loan. Through the program, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will allow the refinance of mortgage loans that they hold in their portfolios or that they guarantee in their own mortgage-backed securities. Lenders will be able to begin accepting refinance applications on March 4, 2009. To determine if your loan is owned or has been securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and is eligible for this refinance, you should contact your mortgage lender after March 4.

In the meantime, borrowers can get additional information at www.financialstability.gov. This site includes questions and answers that will help homeowners determine if they are eligible for refinance assistance. Information is also available at www.fanniemae.com and www.freddiemac.com.

Borrowers should beware of any organization that attempts to charge a fee for housing counseling or "assisting" you in finding a lender that will provide a refinance under the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, especially if they ask for money in advance.

Fair Housing Impediments analysis available

The 2004 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice - Montgomery County, Ohio and Kettering, Ohio report is now available online.

Montgomery County Consolidated Plan available

The Montgomery County, Ohio FY 2003-2007 Consolidated Plan is now available online.

Predatory Lending Solutions study released

Nov. 15, 2001, 2:30 pm: The study is now available by clicking here.

The Predatory Lending Solutions project has released the results of a study designed to examine the local impact of predatory lending in Montgomery County, Ohio. The study, conducted by University of Daytons Center for Business and Economic Research, examined foreclosures in Montgomery County from 1994 - 2000, and the associated activity among lenders who offer sub-prime mortgages.

Objectives of the study were to:

Determine whether predatory lending contributed to the rise of foreclosures
Define the geographic and demographic pattern of predatory loans
Identify the lenders who are involved with loans that have predatory characteristics

The study found that foreclosures in Montgomery County increased by a factor of two and one half times between 1994 and 2000, and that sub-prime lenders were responsible for a disproportionately high share of that increase. A substantial number of the sub-prime foreclosures sampled showed signs of predatory lending, including high interest rates, pre-payment penalties and balloon payments.

Telephone surveys also revealed that many of the tactics associated with predatory lending at the national level are occurring in the sub-prime market in Montgomery County. These tactics include new fees and different loan terms revealed at loan closing, encouragement to borrow more money, steering people with good credit into sub-prime loans, and inflated appraisals.

Lenders associated with sampled mortgages that showed predatory characteristics are noted in the report. The Citigroup subsidiaries (Associates, Citifinancial, Ford Consumer Finance) and Household International (Household Realty, Beneficial Mortgage, Decision One) dominated the loan sample with 26.27 percent and 24.2 percent. City Loan Financial was third with 12.3 percent.

The study indicated that most of the sub-prime lenders are doing three to four as many loans with African American borrowers, and two to five as many loans with borrowers whose household income is 50% or less of the median household income, when compared with the overall market. Mapping of the mortgage foreclosures between 1994 and 2000 illustrates the rapid spread across jurisdictions of Montgomery County. While the City of Dayton has the largest percentage, suburban communities have experienced an increase in their share of foreclosures as well as those associated with sub-prime loans.

Predatory Lending Solutions is a collaborative project by the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Consumer Credit Counseling Service, and the Legal Aid Society of Dayton. Montgomery County has provided strong financial support for the projects initiatives, including a public information campaign that rolled-out in September. The Dayton Foundation provided financial support for the research component, which was coordinated by the project partners with Dr. Richard Stock from the University of Dayton.

Copies of the complete study, and appendices are available at www.mvfairhousing.com/cber.

City of Dayton passes Predatory Lending ordinance

The Dayton City Commission passed a predatory lending ordinance on Wednesday, July 11, 2001. It prohibits practices by some companies which have lead to some properties being over-mortgaged causing homeowners to lose their houses through foreclosure.

Commissioner Dean Lovelace, who proposed the ordinance, said that if it pushes out abusive, high-cost lenders, then the ordinance will have done its job. "I think youre going to see some of the sub-prime lenders that have dominated our market step back," he said.

The city will not monitor all property transactions in the city. Instead homeowners who are signed into home-equity or refinancing loans that violate the provisions of the ordinance can have the terms modified so their loans are no longer in violation.

"At last this sets a tone for the citys position," said Jim McCarthy, director of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center (MVFHC). MVFHC has added five staff members through a $350,000 grant from Montgomery County to handle complaints from residents who think they may be in an abusive loan. The county administration has pledged to fund two more years of the expanded effort as well, McCarthy said.

Consumers in Montgomery County with questions about whether their loans are abusive can contact the predatory lending hotline at 222-9671. Residents in other counties can contact their local legal aid societies.

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Old news

McCarthy elected to fourth term as National Fair Housing Alliance chair