SPRING NEWSLETTER
April 2023 | Committed to fair housing for all
GET IN ON THE ACTION THIS FAIR HOUSING MONTH!
Each April, fair housing advocates, organizations, and local communities across the country celebrate National Fair Housing Month by hosting a variety of activities and events that increase public awareness of fair housing work, and highlight the importance of creating equitable and inclusive communities. 

This year, the Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research is excited to introduce Fair Housing Month of Action — an action-packed month of daily challenges and activities meant to help folks expand their fair housing knowledge and become better advocates for housing justice. Throughout the month, The Fair Housing Center will be sharing action items each weekday for participants to complete. Whether it's reading an article, watching a video, listening to a podcast, or sharing a reflection, these activities are intended to increase fair housing knowledge, spark meaningful discussions, and energize participants, so that they might be moved to take action to further fair housing in their communities.
Take the Survey: Black and Latinx Community Reinvestment Fund
What Established the Black and Latinx Community Reinvestment Fund? 
The Fair Housing Center, National Fair Housing Alliance, and 19 other fair housing organizations throughout the country, reached a landmark $53 million settlement with Fannie Mae to resolve a lawsuit alleging that Fannie Mae treated foreclosed homes in Black and Latinx communities unfavorably, harming those communities. The Fair Housing Center and its partners alleged that Fannie Mae maintained and marketed its foreclosed homes in predominantly White neighborhoods while allowing similar homes in Black and Latinx communities to fall into disrepair and that this differential treatment exacerbated the damage caused by the 2008 mortgage crisis and impeded recovery from the crisis in Black and Latinx neighborhoods.

The Federal Fair Housing Act requires banks and servicers to maintain and sell properties they own without regard to the race or national origin of residents living in the area in which the property is located. Differential treatment of neighborhoods damages those neighborhoods, prevents neighborhood stabilization and economic recovery. The settlement will help rebuild and strengthen communities of color in 39 metropolitan areas including Greater Cleveland.

What is the Purpose of this Survey? The Greater Cleveland area was at the epicenter of the foreclosure crisis in the United States, a crisis that was exacerbated by the failure to maintain and market bank-owned foreclosed properties in communities of color in a nondiscriminatory manner. We want to gain insight directly from the community on how the Black and Latinx Community Reinvestment Fund will be most impactful to some of the hardest hit neighborhoods within our community and where funds may help to fill program and service gaps for future programming. The Fair Housing Center has received $755,000 from the settlement for reinvestment in Black and Latinx communities within Cuyahoga County. 

The Fair Housing Center will accept survey responses through 4/30/2023. Please help spread the word!
Staff Spotlight
NYJA GRAYS, ENFORCEMENT INTERN
Nyja has lived in Cleveland her whole life. She studied abroad for two semesters in Turrialba, Costa Rica and Seville, Spain. She is currently attending Tri-C majoring in criminal justice. With Nyja’s criminal justice degree, she wants to help others with systematic inequalities. She is in her second year of college and is eager to help in the justice field any way she can.

Nyja is very passionate about the inequities in the world. As Enforcement Intern, she is responsible for assisting people who experience housing discrimination.

Upcoming Events
Saturday, April 22, 2023 | 1:30PM-3PM | Cleveland Public Library – Fulton Branch
3545 Fulton Rd, Cleveland, OH 44109 | REGISTER

Tuesday, April 25, 2023 | 5:30PM – 7PM | Zoom | REGISTER

Wednesday, April 26, 2023 | 10AM - 2PM | Frederick Douglass Recreation Center
15401 Miles Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44128 | LEARN MORE
This event is hosted by the Cuyahoga County Bed Bug Task Force. The Fair Housing Center will be tabling this event to share fair housing resources and information with attendees.
Looking to expand your fair housing knowledge? We've got you covered. The Fair Housing Center regularly offers trainings and seminars on fair housing law and related topics throughout Northeast Ohio. A number of online trainings are also available for those interested in a virtual and self-paced learning experience. For the most up-to-date listing of our upcoming events, please visit our website.
2023 Reentry Week:
Amplifying Voices, Breaking Down Barriers
#CLEReentryWeek2023 is dedicated to raising awareness in our community about the many barriers that impede those who are justice-involved. The Fair Housing Center is committed to our mission of protecting and expanding fair housing rights for all people, including justice-involved individuals, who often face significant barriers to housing. Join us for Reentry Week, April 23 – April 29, as we amplify voices of the reentry community and continue working to break down barriers.

For more information on 2023 Reentry Week events, click here.
Fair Housing in the News
About Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research

The Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research (The Fair Housing Center) is a nonprofit fair housing organization whose mission is to protect and expand fair housing rights, eliminate housing discrimination, and promote integrated communities. The Fair Housing Center has been in existence for 35 years, beginning as the Metropolitan Strategy Group in 1983.
 
The federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibits discrimination in the sale or rental of a dwelling on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability. The purpose of the law is to eliminate housing discrimination and promote residential integration.
 
For more information visit www.thehousingcenter.org.