April is Fair Housing Month and marks 58 years since the U.S. Congress passed Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), later amended by the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988. The Fair Housing Act protects against discrimination when an individual engages in housing-related activities such as renting a home or apartment, buying or selling a home, and mortgage lending.
The seven protected categories nationally are race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. Ohio state law extends this protection to ancestry and military status. Fair housing rights can be violated at any step during the rental, purchase, or insuring of a property if the acts of discrimination are based on a person’s protected class.
Anywhere a person lives or sleeps (without anywhere else to go) falls under Fair Housing. This includes extended stay hotels, emergency shelters, dorms, and nursing homes, but does not include “regular” hotel stays.
In Southwest Ohio, we have two local fair housing agencies. Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) covers Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren Counties. Miami Valley Fair Housing Center covers Preble, Montgomery, Miami, Clark, and Green counties, excluding the city of Dayton. Indiana and Kentucky each have one fair housing agency, Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana and Kentucky Fair Housing Council, respectively.
Complaints of housing discrimintation can be filed with administrative agencies within one year of the offense, or in court within two years of the offense. If you feel you have been a victim of housing discrimination, file a fair housing discrimination complaint with HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, your local fair housing agency, or your state’s Civil Rights Commission.