Fall 2020 newsletter now available

Download our Fall newsletter! The latest edition of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center’s newsletter is now available to download.

The newsletter has information about the National Fair Housing Alliance Signs Agreement with LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance To Focus Attention on Impact of Housing Discrimination on the LGBTQ Community, how to Help for residents that want to learn English and who need interpretive services.

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Lawsuit alleging disability bias at Carillon House settled

September 2, 2020 — The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center (MVFHC) has settled a federal lawsuit alleging that The Carillon House Association, Inc. — which owns and operates The Carillon House, a high-rise residential community of condominiums located at 2230 S. Patterson Blvd., Dayton OH, 45409 — published and distributed notices and statements indicating a limitation and discrimination based on disability.

You can read a narrative explaining the timeline of the case and also see the documents supporting the narrative by going to www.mvfairhousing.com/carillonhouse.

The Carillon House is not associated in any way with Carillon Historical Park.

Miami Valley Fair Housing Center supports BLACK LIVES MATTER

June 8, 2020 — Two weeks ago today, George Floyd, a 46 year old Black man was murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Derek Chauvin, a white now former police officer, knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was lying face down handcuffed on the street. Mr. Floyd’s murder is just the latest in a long list of Black people killed at the hands of police. In the past few weeks alone, others killed include Breonna Taylor, Sean Reed, and Tony McDade. Theirs are unacceptable and senseless deaths.

“No White person should feign surprise at the justified unrest that continues across the country. Instead, White people must acknowledge the culture of white supremacy that built this country, and the White privilege perpetuated by our collective willingness to deny the inhumanity of the violence that is and has been occurring against people of color for centuries,” said Jim McCarthy, President/CEO.

It is past time to take a stand, speak out, and demand change. The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center abhors racism in any form, as well as the violent response from police against protesters who have taken to the streets to proclaim righteously that BLACK LIVES MATTER.

“The events surrounding the horrific death of George Floyd and the countless other Black men and women deaths at the hands of law enforcement have shaken America and communities around the world. These killings are an inflection point where we must be intentional about change. Change means with one another and calling out racism in our everyday lives, businesses and in our politics,” said Ronald Jackson, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center.

“However, if we are to achieve real, sustained change, White America must have meaningful conversations with their families, children, colleagues, and friends and say ENOUGH is ENOUGH. Contributions by Blacks in America must be treated with dignity, respect and given the recognition those contributions deserves. Then and only then can true healing take place,” Mr. Jackson continued.

The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center proudly stands with the peaceful protesters who are marching to demand the dismantling of the systemic inequality plaguing our country and replace it with structures that ensure fairness and equity for every person. Residential segregation is the bedrock of the inequalities we see. Only seven days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, Congress passed The Fair Housing Act. Congress intended to ban housing discrimination and dismantle segregation. However, the promises of the Fair Housing Act have not yet been realized because our governments from federal to local have been eager to do only the bare minimum to enforce the law over the past 52 years, which has enabled residential segregation to worsen.

In 2020, Black Americans are more likely to live in neighborhoods in which they lack access to good schools, clean environments, living wage jobs, quality credit, transit, healthy food options, healthcare, and opportunities to build wealth. Black people disproportionately live in spaces that are under-resourced and toxic. These challenges manifest in real harm and pain for people — higher rates of infection and mortality from COVID-19, lower net worth, lower life expectancy, and an inability to give children the best education possible, feed families, and be stably housed. With all of it compounded by bias—overt and implicit—that Black Americans often experience at the hands of real estate agents, lenders, law enforcement, health professionals, and some co-workers and friends.

There is hard work ahead of us all. It will be complicated, frustrating, and demoralizing. However, the Fair Housing Center will be there for the work. We stand in solidarity with every individual and group working toward a nation in which everyone has both the opportunity and ability to live in a safe, healthy, well-resourced, resilient neighborhood free from discrimination where BLACK LIVES MATTER.

Are you being threatened with an eviction during the current COVID-19 crisis?

If you are facing eviction or housing discrimination during the COVID-19 crisis, you can find information and resources by visiting mvcovid19eviction.com.

Important news from the Fair Housing Center

The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center is committed to the health and safety of our clients, our staff, and our community.

Given the evolving situation with COVID-19, we have decided to take appropriate measures to reduce risks associated with the transmission by making changes to how we deliver services to our community.

The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center’s office will be CLOSED to walk-ins and classes will be postponed beginning Monday, March 16, 2020, until further notice.

Instead, the Fair Housing Center staff will be operating via phone, email, and video conference during our usual hours, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm EDT.

We apologize for this inconvenience, but we must do our part to prevent the spread of the virus in our community, while at the same time doing everything we can to keep our services available and operational remotely.

If you have any questions, please call us at 937-223-6035 OR by emailing info@mvfairhousing.com.

We will share further updates as they become available. Thank you and be well.

Previous news items are available here.