The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center :: 21-23 East Babbitt Street | Dayton, OH 45405 | 937.223.6035 | fax 937.223.6279

MVFHC awarded grants from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

HUD logo January 20, 2010 — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center (MVFHC) two grants under HUD’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP), the only federal funding source specifically for education, outreach and enforcement activities by private, non-profit fair housing organizations.

The grants awarded to MVFHC are:

FHIP — Education and Outreach: $100,000.00 for a twelve-month project during which MVFHC will conduct educational and outreach programs through forums including government centers, schools, churches and professional organizations such as the Greater Dayton Apartment Assocation and the Dayton Area Board of REALTORS®.

FHIP — Fair Housing Organization Initiative Continued Development General Component: $90,000.00 for a twelve-month project that will assist MVFHC in the expansion of its information technology infrastructure to better support its operational staff in the provision of enforcement and education services in the Montgomery County area.

These grants are in addition to a three-year FHIP performance-based grant awarded in 2007 that enables MVFHC to provide complaint intake, investigation and referrals for alleged victims of discrimination and to conduct systemic testing throughout the Miami Valley. In addition, a portion of the performance-based grant supports MVFHC’s Predatory Lending Solutions project.

Landmark Civil Rights agreement will increase housing accessibility
across country

January 13, 2010 — The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and its member organizations in Atlanta, GA, Melbourne, FL, and Napa and Martin, CA, announced a landmark agreement with the A.G. Spanos Companies to increase housing accessibility for people with disabilities. Under the agreement, the nation’s fifth largest builder of residential real estate will retrofit properties in eleven states across the country at an estimated cost of $7.4 million.

The agreement amicably resolves a lawsuit filed by NFHA and its members against the Spanos Companies under the federal Fair Housing Act’s accessibility requirements and covers 123 properties built since March 1991. Spanos will also contribute $4.2 million to a fund to provide retrofitting grants to people with disabilities across the country.

The Fair Housing Act, as amended in 1988, has required since 1991 that builders developers and architects design and construct multi-family housing so that both apartments and common areas such as lobbies, community rooms and recreational areas are accessible to the growing number of Americans with disabilities.

For more information about the agreement, including a copy of the stipulated judgment and a list of the properties affected, visit www.nationalfairhousing.org.

“These grants represent a tremendous opportunity for the Miami Valley community, especially in light of the local funding constraints faced by some of our long-term funders,” said Jim McCarthy, MVFHC’s President and CEO. “It is important to realize that while this funding is essential, it is not funding that will allow MVFHC to increase its capactity but rather a retooling of the funding of MVFHC’s existing services to the community.”

The grant to MVFHC is part of $27.5 million in Private Enforcement Initiative grants awarded by HUD to help groups investigate alleged housing discrimination and to enforce the Fair Housing Act as well as substantially equivalent state and local laws.

“Over the past sixteen years, MVFHC has undergone significant growth and has worked diligently to improve fair housing services in the Miami Valley,” McCarthy continued. “We’re very pleased that HUD has recognized our work as being worthy of funding.”

Save Transit Now, Move Ohio Forward!

A host of transportation, public policy, social service, and environmental organizations have joined forces in a campaign to reverse the decline of public transportation around Ohio, suggesting initial steps to safeguard public transit users from further service cuts and fare increases and to save Ohio’s economy and environment from further decline.

The organizations involved in the “Save Transit Now, Move Ohio Forward!” campaign recommend:

— Overturning the state constitutional prohibition on Ohio gas tax revenues and motor vehicle fees being used for non-highway purposes, thereby freeing up revenue to be used for mass transit

— Using flexible transportation funding sources currently available in Ohio—such as gas taxes collected from off-road vehicles, farming and landscaping equipment, and revenue raised from vanity license plates—to fund mass transit

— Using flexible federal highway funds for public transportation projects by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and metropolitan planning organizations

What you can do to help:

Sign the Save Transit Now petition in support of increasing Ohio funding for public transit.
Send a message to your state representative and state senators.

More Ohioans travel on buses and trains within the state’s metro areas than fly in and out of Ohio’s airports. More than 350,000 Ohioans each day use buses and trains to reach jobs, medical appointments, day care, pharmacies, schools, job training and other services. Donna P. McNamee, a member of ODOT’s 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force, points out, "For many people—including people with disabilities, seniors and low income individuals—public transit is the only way to get around.”

Despite the need for public transporation, Ohio transit agencies have been forced to slash transit services and to raise fares. The State of Ohio has cut funding by 75 percent since 2002; less than one percent of ODOT’s budget is spent on public transit. “In fact,” says Ken Prendergast, executive director of All Aboard Ohio, “the State of Ohio will spend more to cut the grass along its Interstates than for public transit operations.”

Ohio ranks 40th in the nation for relative commitment to public transit, despite being the nation’s seventh most populous state. Indiana spends three times more than Ohio, and Pennsylvania spends 33 times as much.

“It is no accident that our public transit agencies are in crisis,” says Amanda Woodrum, a researcher at Policy Matters Ohio. “It is the direct result of choices we Ohioans have made on how to spend our transportation dollars.”

Consider that:

1. Investments in public transit produce nearly 20% more jobs than equivalent expenditures in new roads or highways.

2. Public transportation reduces traffic congestion.

3. Public transportation is more affordable and accessible. For seniors and people with disabilities owning and maintaing a private vehicle may not be an option at all.

4. Public transportation reduces dependence on fossil fuels. Nationally, public transportation saves 900,000 automobile fill-ups each day and 37 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.

5. By reducing air pollution and encouraging people to walk more, public transit creates healther communities.

6. Transit-oriented development is more environmentally friendly and can serve to reduce urban sprawl and revitalize our cities.

The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act gives renters certain rights

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray has prepared a memo summarizing tenants’ rights regarding foreclosure that explains the protections offered to people who rent their homes and whose landlords are in foreclosure.

If the property in which you live has been taken over by a new owner, you have the the right to stay in your home until the end of your current lease, unless the new owner intends to live in the property, in which case you must be given at least 90 days advance notice before you must move.

If you experience problems with the new owner of your property, you can visit the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Renters in Foreclosure Toolkit for some helpful resources, including a sample letter you can use to explain to the new owner your rights under the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act. The Attorney General suggests that if you send any letters that you keep copies of the letters and that you send the letters via certified mail with return receipt in order to have proof that the new owner received your request.

The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center does not provide assistance to renters in foreclosure. Instead, if you live in western Ohio, you contact Advocates for Basic Legal Equality on their Legal Aid Line at 888-534-1432. You can also visit Ohio Legal Services (866-529-6446) to be connected to your local legal aid office.

Previous news items are available here.

Resources and useful links

Don't Risk Your Home

Watch out for predatory lending. Learn more about it by visiting dontrisk yourhome.com.

If you feel you are a victim of predatory lending and live in Montgomery County, Ohio, call the Predatory Lending Solutions hotline at 937-222-9671 if you are currently in foreclosure. If you are not currently in foreclosure, you should call the HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton at 937-853-1600.

Reasonable Modifications and Accommodations

Have questions about what your rights or responsibilities are under the federal Fair Housing Act for persons with disabilities? Now available online in the Services/Reference section are joint statements from the Department of Justice and the Department of Housing and Urban Development that explain reasonable modifications and accommodations.

MVFHO - Miami Valley Housing Opportunities is at www.mvho.net

Questions about bed bugs?
Learn more at the
Public Health District website.

Affordable senior independent living communities in Dayton and Xenia

St. Mary Development Corporation manages apartment centers around Dayton and in Xenia providing affordable homes and support services for low-income seniors.
For more information, visit AffordableSeniorApartments.org or download their printable brochure (in Adobe PDF format).

Service Animal Policy

A Service Animal Policy is now available available online in the Services/Reference section. The policy explains what service animals are and how they are a reasonable accommodation under the Federal Fair Housing Act and also provides practice guidelines for housing providers and for tenants.

Your Rights & Duties as a Tenant

Although MVFHC does not provide assistance with landlord/tenant issues unrelated to discrimination, the booklet Your Rights and Duties as a Tenant, presented by Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. and Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc., is a useful resource.

Additional Landlord/Tenant info

Also, if you are a landlord or a tenant wanting information on your rights and duties under Ohio law, the Dayton-Montgomery County Ombudsman's Office has a page about landlord/tenant issues.

Fair Housing Advertising Word and Phrase List

A word and phrase list intended as a guideline to assist in complying with state and federal fair housing laws is available online in the Services/Reference section.

Equal Housing Opportunity usage guidelines

Guidelines on the usage of the "Equal Housing Opportunity" logo and slogan are available online in the Services/Reference section.

Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST is an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that promotes compliance with the Fair Housing Act design and construction requirements. Visit www.fairhousingfirst.org for instruction programs and useful online resources.

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. To learn how you can save money in your home, visit www.energystar.gov.

Special reports

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