As we celebrate the beginning of Fair Housing Month—the anniversary of the signing of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) is gearing up for one of its busiest months of the year.
Fair Housing Month is an opportunity to recognize the progress made; opening doors for individuals and families to have equal access to housing, regardless of their race, nationality, gender, familial status, disability or religion. The Fair Housing Act, signed April 11, 1968, only a week after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has arguably been the catalyst for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Housing and Community Development Act, and the creation of the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Yes, all of the aforementioned have helped to move the needle past Jim Crow laws that allowed for “white-zoned areas” and led to the blatant discrimination of racial and ethnic minorities.
Yet, housing discrimination persists. Each year the ICRC processes thousands of complaints – many of which fall within the realm of Fair Housing. What’s unsettling is that those thousands of complaints represent less than five percent of all housing discrimination incidents reported. That’s an alarming statistic when you consider the growing Burmese, Somali, and Hispanic communities – in addition to the increased number of complaints related to our disabled community.
Correspondingly, the negative impacts of housing discrimination reach far beyond the obvious effects. Studies have continuously outlined the disparate impact housing discrimination has in classrooms across the country. According to the Berkeley Journal of African-American Law and Policy, residential segregation is linked to educational segregation, which, consequently, furthers the education gap. Furthermore, housing discrimination has proven to induce hyper-mobility, which diminishes school resources and negatively impacts a young person’s ability to perform academically. So, fair housing opportunities should be included in the conversation about improving our schools.
We would like to encourage each of you to do your part as we observe Fair Housing Month and continue to work toward ending housing discrimination in Indiana. This year the Indiana Civil Rights Commission is hosting the 2015 State of Indiana Fair Housing Conference in two separate regions of the state.
The first will be held in Indianapolis on April 13-14 followed by French Lick, on April 21-22. Housing providers, social service providers, legal professionals and tenants are encouraged to register and attend the conference. A diverse gathering of tenants and providers is critical to the discussion.
So, as we commemorate Fair Housing month, acknowledging the progress we’ve made since the 1960s’, let us also remain focused on the work that remains. We still have a very long way to go.
Jamal Smith currently serves the State of Indiana as executive director of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission.
