The mission of the Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research is to protect and expand fair housing rights, eliminate housing discrimination, and promote integrated communities.

OUR HISTORY

The Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research (formerly known as the Housing Research & Advocacy Center) is a not for profit fair housing agency that promotes equal housing opportunities and positive race relations in Northeast Ohio. The Fair Housing Center was established in 1983 as the Metropolitan Strategy Group, and became the Housing Research & Advocacy Center in 2003. The Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research made its most recent name change in 2018 to better encompass the organization’s mission and scope of services. The Fair Housing Center was founded as a “brown bag” luncheon group of local fair housing/civil rights advocates who shared a goal of expanding housing opportunities for Greater Clevelanders regardless of their race, religion, gender, ethnicities, national origins, familial status, or disability. The Fair Housing Center has significantly grown since its inception in 1983. While the Fair Housing Center continues to advocate for programs that promote fair housing, the scope of the agency has changed from a grass-roots coalition of community groups to a focused fair housing agency. The Fair Housing Center’s general mission remains the same: To ensure, through research, educational programs, public policy and enforcement activities, that all residents are guaranteed equal access to housing.

The Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research was established as the Metropolitan Strategy Group in 1983, was incorporated under not-for-profit laws in the State of Ohio in 1992, and granted federal exemption status in 1994.

A YEAR IN REVIEW

2022 was another year of growth for the Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research. Complaints of housing discrimination rose over 45% from the previous year, continuing an upward trend in complaints that we have been seeing over the past five years. Between 2018 and 2022, the number of fair housing complaints received and processed by our agency increased by 245%. As the needs of our community expanded, so did our team. In 2022, we added two new programs, welcomed new staff members, and, most importantly, remained steadfast in our commitment to protecting and expanding fair housing rights, eliminating housing discrimination, and promoting integrated communities.

Our Research & Policy team published the 2022 State of Fair Housing in Northeast Ohio report in May of 2022. This was The Fair Housing Center’s 16th annual comprehensive survey of fair housing for Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina Counties. The report found that, 54 years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act, housing discrimination remains wide spread. In August, Frank Ford joined our team as Senior Policy Advisor – a role in which his primary responsibility is staffing and leading the Cuyahoga County Vacant and Abandoned Property Action Council (VAPAC). This made VAPAC one of the newest programs run by our agency.

The second program The Fair Housing Center began administering in 2022 is the Cuyahoga Community Choice Demonstration. Led by Michael Lepley, Mobility Program Director, the Cuyahoga Community Choice Demonstration is a housing voucher mobility program offered in partnership with the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program assists families with children enrolled in the Housing Choice Voucher Program in accessing neighborhoods with strong community resources by offering program participants pre- and post-move counselling, extra financial assistance including security deposit payment, and assistance with the housing search. Additionally, the program attracts housing providers to the program through recruitment, expediting processing time, rapid inspections, lease-up bonuses, and property protection.

Our Advocacy & Enforcement team provided 1,627 community referrals to connect families with trusted community partners, conducted intakes for 574 new complaints of housing discrimination, and collaborated with residents to resolve 72 complaints through direct engagement with local housing providers. After obtaining fair housing guidance from The Fair Housing Center, 129 additional complainants were able to resolve their concerns independently. Additionally, our advocates informed 127 clients of their right to file a fair housing complaint with the appropriate administrative agency throughout the year. The Fair Housing Center filed 9 new agency complaints with administrative enforcement agencies, resolved 2 complaints in-house, and continued work on 46 ongoing agency cases. The Fair Housing Center also conciliated and resolved 13 cases in 2022.

In 2022, our Education & Outreach team nearly doubled the number of fair housing trainings we facilitated, compared to the year before. We put on 64 fair housing trainings, reaching a total of 2,896 people. That’s 105.25 hours spent delivering fair housing education, which translates into a grand total of 2,534.75 training hours received by attendees. In addition, our team connected with community members by participating in 30 community outreach events throughout the year.

In February, we announced that The Fair Housing Center, along with the National Fair Housing Alliance and 19 other local fair housing organizations throughout the country, reached a landmark $53 million agreement 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 received $755,000 from the settlement, which will be reinvested into Black and Latinx communities within Cuyahoga County. At the time of this report’s publishing, The Fair Housing Center is in the process of gathering and analyzing community input in order to determine how the Black and Latinx Community Reinvestment Fund can be most impactful. This news was shared, along with other important updates, at our virtual event, “Get to Know The Fair Housing Center.” This event provided an opportunity for supporters and community members to join us on Zoom or Facebook Live to learn more about the Fair Housing Center’s work and mission.

As we look back on the year, we are reminded of the persistent discrimination and systemic issues that continue to impact the people in our communities. Although we have seen an uptick in calls for assistance and complaints of housing discrimination in recent years, our team continues to meet the needs of our community. As we look ahead to the future, we dream of a more equitable world, one where all people – regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status, disability, or any other reason — can live where they choose, free from discrimination. With your support, that future can become a reality.

POLICY & RESEARCH

2022 State of Fair Housing in Northeast Ohio Report

In May, The Fair Housing Center's research team published our annual State of Fair Housing in Northeast Ohio report. This was The Fair Housing Center’s 16th annual comprehensive survey of fair housing for Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina Counties. The report found that, 54 years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act, housing discrimination remains wide spread. In 2021, there were 103 complaints of housing discrimination in Northeast Ohio filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Fair Housing Center estimates that there are at least 33,690 instances of housing discrimination annually in the region, showing that the complaints filed represent only a small fraction of the total number of instances of housing discrimination in the region. Housing segregation has remained constant for African Americans since 1990, and the region is ranked 5th most segregated for major metropolitan areas. The report includes a review of municipal fair housing laws and local zoning codes. In Northeast Ohio, 61 municipalities have local fair housing ordinances, many of which expand protection beyond national and state laws. Fifty municipalities have zoning ordinances that restrict or regulate group homes in ways that potentially violate the Fair Housing Act. Thirty-six municipalities have criminal activity nuisance ordinances that that have been shown to disproportionately target and often cause the eviction of people of color, victims of domestic violence, and people with disabilities.

Cuyahoga County Vacant and Abandoned Property Action Council (VAPAC)

As The Fair Housing Center's Senior Policy Advisor, Frank Ford is primarily responsible for staffing and leading the Cuyahoga County Vacant and Abandoned Property Action Council (VAPAC). VAPAC was founded in 2005 with a mission of collaboratively bringing together stakeholders to address vacant and abandoned property issues created by the mortgage foreclosure crisis. Over time, in recognition of the dynamic and complex nature of these issues, VAPAC’s mission has evolved to encompass housing and housing finance practices that could lead to vacancy, abandonment, and housing insecurity for owners and renters, as well as the negative outcomes that can impact communities and their housing markets. From its inception, VAPAC has recognized that these issues have had, and continue to have, a disproportionate impact on communities of color. Racial justice, equality and racial equity have always been implicit in the work of VAPAC and they continue to be core principles that guide VAPAC’s work.

VAPAC Participating Organizations:

• Case Western Reserve University
• CDC Housing Committee
• CHN Housing Partners
• City of Cleveland Mayor's Office
• Cleveland Building and Housing Dept.
• Cleveland City Council
• Cleveland Community Development Dept.
• Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank
• Cleveland Legal Aid Society
• Cleveland Municipal Housing Court
• Cleveland Neighborhood Progress
• Cleveland Planning Dept.
• Cleveland State University
• Code Enforcement Partnership Program
• Community Housing Solutions
• Cuyahoga County Board of Revision
• Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
• Cuyahoga County Consumer Affairs Department
• Cuyahoga County Council
• Cuyahoga County Department of Development
• Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office
• Cuyahoga County Inspector General
• Cuyahoga County Land Bank
• Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office
• Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office
• Cuyahoga County Treasurer
• Empowering and Strengthening Ohio's People
• Enterprise Community Partners
• Fair Housing Center for Rights and Research
• First Suburbs Consortium
• Home Repair Resource Center
• Ohio Attorney General - Cleveland Office
• Western Reserve Land Conservancy

VAPAC Working Groups:

• Property Tax Delinquency Working Group
• Housing Affordability & Sustainability Working Group
• Investor Working Group
• Code Enforcement Working Group
• Equity Working Group

Reports Produced in 2022:

• Preliminary report on 2022 mortgage lending in Cuyahoga County (presented at the Annual Fair Lending Conference, co-sponsored by Cleveland State University and Organize Ohio on December 2, 2022)

VAPAC in the News:

• On October 17, 2022, Crain’s Cleveland Business did a story on problems associated with Residential PACE home improvement lending. Back in 2019, VAPAC was one of the first organizations in the state of Ohio to raise concerns. Subsequently, a study by ProPublica found that African American borrowers in other states were disproportionately harmed by residential PACE loans. Advocacy by VAPAC and others in Ohio led to the withdrawal from the Ohio market of Ygrene Energy Fund, the company spearheading the effort to establish residential PACE lending in Ohio. Although Ygrene has withdrawn, there is nothing to prevent another company from stepping in. A broad coalition in Ohio is continuing to advocate for stronger protections for homeowners. The article in Crain’s Cleveland Business highlighted the continuing concerns. Read the article here.

CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY CHOICE DEMONSTRATION

The Cuyahoga Community Choice Demonstration is a housing voucher mobility program offered in partnership with the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority. The Community Choice Demonstration assists families with children enrolled in the Housing Choice Voucher Program in accessing neighborhoods with strong community resources by offering program participants pre- and post-move counselling, extra financial assistance including security deposit payment, and assistance with the housing search. Additionally, the program attracts housing providers to the program through recruitment, expediting processing time, rapid inspections, lease-up bonuses, and property protection.

To date, the Cuyahoga Community Choice Demonstration has assisted 11 moves to opportunity areas in Cuyahoga County and enrolled 160 families. Cuyahoga County is one of eight sites in the United States participating in the Community Choice Demonstration.

ADVOCACY & ENFORCEMENT

Our small Advocacy team fielded thousands of calls in 2022 from community members in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties. The team empowered callers, most of whom were renters, to exercise their fair housing rights and to fight for safe, dignified, equitable housing.

We provided 1,627 community referrals to connect families with trusted community partners. Our referrals helped residents remedy health and safety violations in their homes through code enforcement, access legal representation, learn how to escrow their rent, and obtain case management services from social workers, therapists, and counselors to provide personalized assistance and support.

The Advocacy team conducted intakes for 574 new complaints of housing discrimination, up more than 45% from 2021. Ninety-three percent (93%) of these fair housing complaints were reported by renters.

Last year, the Advocacy team collaborated with residents to resolve 72 complaints through direct engagement with local housing providers. Rising housing costs and stagnant wages contributed to tenant concerns of retaliation for reporting discrimination. Our agency informed callers that retaliation in any form (including non-renewal of lease or eviction is unlawful), in addition to providing other fair housing education, resources, and information to callers. As a result of our advocates’ expertise and residents’ tireless commitment to justice, 129 additional complainants were able to resolve their concerns independently after obtaining fair housing guidance from The Fair Housing Center.

In addition to direct intervention, advocates promoted fair housing enforcement by informing 127 clients of their right to file a fair housing complaint with the appropriate administrative agency throughout the year. The Fair Housing Center filed 9 new agency complaints with administrative enforcement agencies in 2022, resolved 2 complaints in-house, and continued work on 46 ongoing agency cases. The Fair Housing Center conciliated and resolved 13 cases last year. Our agency also collaborated with other national fair housing groups to reach two, historic, multi-million dollar settlements that combat disability and systemic, race-based discrimination in Northeast Ohio, and around the country.

Please Note:

• The total number of alleged bases of discrimination (677) is greater than the total number of new client complaints reported to our office (559) because some complaints allege discrimination on more than one basis.
• The total number of racial groups that reporting discrimination (128) is higher than the total number of new race-based complaints reported to our office (110) because some complainants identified as belonging to more than one racial group.

EDUCATION & OUTREACH

Throughout 2022, our Education & Outreach team:

• Delivered 64 fair housing trainings
• Trained 2,896 people
• Spent 105.25 hours delivering fair housing education
• Provided attendees with a total of 2,534.75 training hours
• Participated in 30 community outreach events

Additional highlights from 2022 include:

• Developing three new online courses, making fair housing education more accessible to a broader audience; Folks can enroll in self-paced online courses on Fair Housing for the LGBTQ+ Community, Know Your Rights: Criminal Records & Fair Housing Law, What Every Landlord Should Know: Criminal Records & Fair Housing at absolutely no cost.

• Participating in the Lorain County Urban League’s 2022 Fair Housing Conference; Our Director of Education & Outreach, Tanesha Hunter, was a panelist in a meaningful discussion on the impact of housing segregation.

• Releasing our digital toolkit on Fair Housing for People with a Criminal Record; This toolkit was created to provide fair housing guidance for formerly incarcerated individuals as well as family members and professionals advocating for those impacted by the criminal legal system.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

2022 Revenues

• Program & Interest Income: $4,962.00
• Grant Income: $993,054.00
• Litigation Settlements: $1,167,034.00
• Contribution Income $82,156.00
• Total Revenues: $2,247,206.00

2022 Expenses

• Programs: $1,038,493.00
• Management & General: $23,344.00
• Development: $26,275.00
• Total Expenses: $1,088,112.00

OUR TEAM

This work wouldn't be possible without the core team of people who get up every day with a commitment to further fair housing and take a stand against discrimination. Scroll down to meet our team members (both old and new), and visit our website to learn more about our current staff members.

2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• MIA BROWN | Broker/Owner, Mia Brown Realty
• JOAN BURDA | Attorney in private practice; Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• DIANE CITRINO | Retired Attorney
• KYLE FEE | Senior Policy Analyst, Community Development at the Federal Reserve Bank
• DR. FRANCESKA JONES | Education Consultant/Non-Profit Consultant; Author
• TONI JONES | Councilwoman, Maple Heights City County; Housing Specialist, Bellaire Puritas Development Corp.
• ROBERT "BOB" KISSLING | Secretary | Director of Human Resources, Western Reserve Land Conservancy
• ALLISON KRETZ | Victim Witness Specialist, United States Attorney’s Office
• CARLETON MOORE! | President | Senior Vice President for Advance Planning, CWM! Architects
• PRISCILLA POINTER-HICKS | Vice President | Executive Director, Parma Public Housing Agency
• NOLAN STEVENS | Staff Attorney, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
• CORY THOMAS | NASA
• J. ROSIE TIGHE | Assistant Professor, Maxine Levin College of Urban Affairs