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FAIR HOUSING AND CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS FILE FEDERAL LAWSUIT IN POST-KATRINA HOUSING DISCRIMINATION CASE
Washington, DC and New Orleans, LA (November 12, 2008) Today civil rights and fair housing groups filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development and the Louisiana Recovery Authority. The suit alleges that the Road Home, Louisiana's Hurricane Katrina recovery program, discriminates against African-American homeowners in New Orleans.
The Road Home, an $11 billion federally-funded program, is the largest housing redevelopment program in U.S. history. The suit is being filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of five individuals representing a class of more than 20,000 African-American homeowners and two fair housing organizations, the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center and the National Fair Housing Alliance.
11-12-08 Read the full press release
11-12-08 Download a copy of the Road Home fact sheet
11-12-08 Download a copy of the complaint
11-12-08 Listen to a recording of the press conference
11-14-08 Watch a video of the November 12th press conference
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JAMES PERRY TESTIFIES BEFORE CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION
On July 31, 2008 James Perry testified before the National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity organized by the National Fair Housing Alliance, Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The Commission has scheduled hearings in 5 cities and will present its findings on fair housing enforcement to Congress in December. Check back soon for a copy of James' testimony.
7-31-08 Watch James Perry on Houston's FOX News station here.
7-31-08 Read about the Commission in the Houston Chronicle here.
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GOVERNOR VETOES ABRAMSON APPROPRIATION FOR UNITY OF GREATER NEW ORLEANS
On July 14 the office of Neil Abramson, State Representative from District 98, released a statement concerning Governor Jindal's veto iof Abramson's appropriation request of $50,000 to go to UNITY of Greater New Orleans, an organization that provides services, emergency shelter, and permanent housing to New Orleans' homeless population. Recently UNITY has been instrumental in placing hundreds of homeless people living under the Claiborne Ave. I-10 overpass in stable housing. The release states that the $50,000 request, part of a larger $30 billion appropriations bill, would have helped house 44 people, a critical step forward at a time when New Orleans is facing an affordable housing shortage of historical proportions.
Contact Governor Jindal here.
Contact Representative Abramson here. Visit his webpage here.
Read more about the homelessness crisis in New Orleans here. (Article from the March 17, 2008 issue of USA Today )
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ACTION ALERT: PROPOSED LEGISLATION VIOLATES THE FAIR HOUSING ACT BY MAKING IT ILLEGAL TO HOUSE OR SHELTER UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS
The Louisiana state legislature is considering several pieces of legislation that complicate things for undocumented immigrants. While all of the bills are troublesome, two stand out in the housing front. House bills 1357 and 1365 seek to make it illegal to house or shelter undocumented immigrants. If passed, the bill would facilitate illegal discrimination. Even well-intentioned landlords would be forced to engage in illegal racial profiling in order to comply with the law. It is GNOFHAC’s position that the bill is illegal. In fact, similar bills have been struck down in other states and cities. We ask that you contact your state legislator and ask them to vote against the bill.
5-20-08: To read the two bills click here, scroll down to "Bill Search," enter "HB 1357" or "HB 1365" and hit "view."
5-30-08: Read the Times Picayune editorial, entitled "Wasting Time", here.
6-04-08: Read the Times Picayune article, "Immigrant Bill Hits Senate Panel Snag", here.
Click the links for a list of legislators (House and Senate). Click here a sample letter/email.
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ACTION ALERT: KENNER'S BAN ON MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING HAS DISCRIMINATORY EFFECT
In April, the City of Kenner passed a ban on the construction of multi-family housing. Census data demonstrates that Latinos, African-Americans, families with children and people with disabilities rely most heavily on muli-family rental housing. The reliance stems from the fact that multi-family housing is more likely to be affordable. Plus, for people with physical disabilities, multi-family housing is the only housing required by law to be accessible for people with disabilities. As a result Kenner’s ban on the construction of apartment housing is having a discriminatory effect. We ask you to join us in advocating that the Kenner City Council reverse its decision.
4-4-08: Read the Fair Housing Center's press release on the Kenner moratorium here.
4-11-08: Read the Times Picayune article stating our opinion here.
Click here for a link with Council contact information. Click here for sample letters/emails that you can send to the Kenner City Council.
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GNOFHAC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TESTIFIES BEFORE US CONGRESS ABOUT GULF COAST RECOVERY AND THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) PROGRAM
On Thursday, May 8, 2008, GNOFHAC Executive Director James Perry testified before the House Committee on Financial Services’ Subcommittee on Housing and Community Development about the role of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program in the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast after the 2005 hurricanes and the extent to which local and state governments have failed to use this funding in a way that affirmatively furthers fair housing. Under Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development provides CDBG funding to cities and counties in order to “carry out a wide range of community development activities directed toward revitalizing neighborhoods, economic development, and providing improved community facilities and services.” Since the 2005 storms, HUD has provided over $16 billion in CDBG funds to affected areas which have funded a myriad of rebuilding programs, including the Road Home program.
5-6-08: Read the press release here.
5-8-08: Read James Perry's testimony here.
5-8-08: Listen audio from the testimony here.
5-8-08: Read Ariella Cohen's brief on the testimony in City Business here.
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GNOFHAC HOMEOWNERSHIP COUNSELOR TESTIFIES BEFORE STATE SENATE COMMITTEE
The LA Senate Committee on Local and Municipal Affairs unanimously approved SB 740, the Road Home Bill of Rights, sponsored by Senator Derrick Shepherd today. GNOFHAC Hurricane Relief Specialist, Seth Weingart, testified in support of the bill, as did Melanie Ehrlich of CHAT.
5-8-08: Read Seth Weingart's testimony here.
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GNOFHAC SETTLES LAWSUIT AGAINST ST. BERNARD PARISH
On February 28, 2008, the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center announced the settlement of its lawsuit against St. Bernard Parish regarding a discriminatory local ordinance. St. Bernard Parish has agreed to pay a $32,500 settlement over a 2006 ordinance, since repealed, that restricted the rental of a home to blood relatives of the owner. GNOFHAC alleged that the ordinance was racially discriminatory, since white individuals own 93% of all owner-occupied housing in St. Bernard Parish, and make up approximately 88% of the Parish's population.
2-28-08: Read GNO Fair Housing's press release here.
2-29-08: Read the Times Picayune article on the settlement here.
2-29-08: Read Jarvis DeBerry's opinion from the Times Picayune here.
3-1-08: Read the Times Picayune editorial here.
NEW! GNOFHAC secures attorney fees from St. Bernard Parish!
7-2-08: Read GNO Fair Housing's press release here.
7-3-08: Read the Times Picayune article here.
7-8-08: Read the Times Picayune editorial "The Cost of Stubbornness" here.
8-27-08: Read the Nation article "New Orleans Redraws Its Color Line" here.
New! Timeline of St. Bernard Parish case
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