Taking Action

I do a lot of teaching on topics related to Fair Housing law. In fact, you could say it’s my passion. If I had to choose only one interest area to teach, Fair Housing would be it.

Maybe, it’s because I felt discriminated against as a single mom with a small child, looking for housing. I remember once being told I wasn’t welcome because, “We can’t have men coming and going from here all the time.” Maybe it goes back even farther in time – back to the days when our big family didn’t quite fit the norm of the neighborhood in which we lived. Or, maybe it was the strange looks my kinda-crazy step dad used to get in the grocery store. I’ve always known, it hurts to be treated poorly, just because you’re ‘different.’

I read a blog post today that really spoke to my heart.  The topic focused on the necessity to be proactive when including others.  As Mr. Gerstandt so beautifully stated, it’s never been enough to simply NOT engage in behavior that excludes.

In my classes, there is always a great deal of discussion around what NOT to do. We talk about NOT treating people differently because of their race, religion, skin color, national origin, gender, family status, or disability. We talk about NOT making rules that target a “protected class” under the law – no rules for kids; just rules for residents. We talk about NOT steering people to specific areas in our community, based on what we assume their preferences to be, because of their status in a protected class.

Once we’ve covered the things NOT to be done, we start exploring the affirmative steps we can take to make people feel welcome in a housing transaction. This is a much tougher assignment for many housing providers.  Some have been proactive by taking on voluntary positions with organizations that further Fair Housing interests. Some publish their documents and notices in multiple languages. Others provide streamlined procedures for accommodating the needs of people with disabilities.  All of these are active efforts with great outcomes for the housing providers and consumers.

What do you do to actively encourage diversity in your community?