[StBernard] April is Fair Housing Month in St. Bernard Parish

[Westley Annis]

WHAT IS FAIR HOUSING MONTH AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO YOU?

President David Peralta Proclaims April as Fair Housing Month 

 

 

Fair Housing Month serves as a reminder and a celebration of the Fair
Housing Act, which makes it illegal to discriminate in housing based on
race, color, sex, national origin, religion, familial status, or disability.

 

This year marks the 46th anniversary of the adoption of Section VIII of the
Civil Rights Act, commonly known as the Fair Housing Act.  The legislation,
passed to prevent discrimination in housing based on race, color, sex,
national origin, or religion, was signed into law by President Lyndon
Johnson on April 11, 1968.

 

The act was a long-awaited addition to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which did
not include sufficient enforcement provisions against housing
discrimination.   Minorities continued to face discrimination in selling,
renting, and financing in the real estate industry, exacerbating the social
and economic inequalities through racially segregated neighborhoods.

 

The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968, gave
substantial momentum to the debate on fair housing and led to the passage of
the bill just a week later.

 

The Fair Housing Act prohibits any discriminatory practices in the sale,
rental, financing, or advertising of a dwelling.  Before its adoption,
"blockbusting" - informing homeowners that the value of their property would
gradually decline due to the influx of racial minorities to the neighborhood
- or denying an available property to a buyer or renter from a protected
class, were common practices in the real estate market.  In some instances,
realtors posted "sold" signs on available properties in white neighborhood
to discourage buyers from minority groups.  These and other practices were
all made illegal by the Fair Housing Act.

 

Today, any person who feels discriminated against under the Fair Housing Act
can file a complaint with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD), entrusted with administering the act.  HUD possesses investigation,
conciliation, and mandatory enforcement tools to ensure that the law is
respected and properly exercised at the federal level.  Every year, HUD and
its sister agencies across the nation receive over 10,000 complaints on
discriminatory practices in the real estate market.

 

St. Bernard Parish's Office of Fair Housing located at 2009 Esteban Street
in Arabi processes complaints on discriminatory practices and can be reached
at (504) 278-4290 or www.spbg.net.  Stop by and visit us or call us with any
concerns.

 

 

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PROCLAMATION

 

WHEREAS, the 46th Anniversary of the National Fair Housing Law, Title VIII
of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, during the month of April, is an occasion
for all Americans - individually and collectively - to rededicate themselves
to the principle of freedom from housing discrimination whenever it exists;
and

 

WHEREAS, this law guarantees for each citizen the critical, personal element
of freely choosing a home; and

 

WHEREAS, a fair housing law has been passed by the state of Louisiana, and
implementation of the law requires the positive commitment, involvement, and
support of each of our citizens; and

 

WHEREAS, the department and agencies of the state of Louisiana are to
provide leadership in the effort to make fair housing not just an idea, but
an ideal for all our citizens; and

 

WHEREAS,  barriers that diminish the rights and limit the options of any
citizen to freely choose a home will ultimately diminish the rights and
limit the options of all.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, David E. Peralta, President of the St. Bernard Parish
Government do hereby proclaim the month of April 2014, as

 


FAIR HOUSING MONTH


in the Parish of St. Bernard.