FAIR HOUSING MONTH 2025
Celebrating Fair Housing, the Cornerstone of Equity in Housing Opportunity
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Sinclair Conference Center
Dayton, Ohio
Register for the workshop and luncheon here
The day begins at 8:30 AM with an interactive fair housing seminar accredited for continuing education: Fair Housing and Equity Focused Homeownership. This workshop will feature National Fair Housing Alliance staff: Vice President of Housing and Community Development, Shanti Abedin and Housing and Community Development Program Analyst, Andrea Lau. Other speakers are: Netta Whitman, Director of Housing Advisory Services for a Homeport, a non-profit housing developer based in Columbus, Ohio, and Anita Schmaltz, Director of the HomeOwnership Center, a program of County Corp located in Montgomery County, Ohio. A luncheon follows the morning activities with the Marie Kindrick Service Awards and a keynote speaker
Keynote by Monique Winston—Monique is a nationally renowned C- Suite Executive and Minority Business Advocate with 27+ years in the Title Insurance and Financial Services industry. Mrs. Winston focuses on the inclusion and development of women and minorities as business owners and homeowners. As the current President and CEO of MWINS Consulting, Mrs. Winston provides speaking, training, moderating, events and other services to real estate and financial services organizations. Monique is the President of the Ohio Realtist Association and the Immediate Past President of the Greater Cleveland Realtist Association. Both are divisions of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB).
HUD Charges Texas-based Providence Village HOA with Racial Discrimination
On January 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban (“HUD”) issued a determination that the Providence Homeowners Association, Inc. (“PHOA”), its property management company, First Service Residential Texas, Inc. (“FirstService”), its property manager and president of PHOA violated the Fair Housing Act by engaging in intentional discrimination based on race and color against Section 8 Voucher holders. Relman Colfax represents the Denton Housing Authority (“DHA”) in the matter.
The case arose in June 2022 when the PHOA—governing a community of about 7,000 residents in suburban Dallas—adopted a new policy barring Voucher holders. Of the 157 Voucher households affected, 93% were black families. Based on extensive evidence, HUD concluded the policy was racially motivated racially and had injured:
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Voucher holders and their families;
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As many as 63 landlords who participated in the Voucher program and were threatened by PHOA with fines of $300/week if they continued to rent to Voucher households;
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DHA, because 81 of the affected households received Voucher assistance from DHA, which relies on income generated through the program and is required to provide relocation assistance to displaced Voucher households. voucher holder’s participation and provides assistance when voucher holders are relocated, at considerable cost to its own operations.
Through its Chief Executive Officer, Sherri McDade, DHA advised Voucher holders of their rights under state and federal law, including their rights to file housing discrimination complaints with HUD. DHA also filed its own HUD complaint, as did several landlords who were injured by PHOA’s actions.
There was substantial national press coverage of PHOA’s actions, including by HBO’s John Oliver (at 11:03 of the segment). PHOA agreed not to enforce the policy while federal investigations were pending. However, in 2024, it adopted a new policy that restricted landlords from renting more than one property and limited the number of rental units to 25 percent of the lots in Providence Village. These new policies also limit renters’ access to housing and HUD found that they violated the HOA’s agreement not to enforce the earlier policy.
The determination issued by HUD found numerous examples of PHOA board members engaged in racial hostility and found that the Board and management company failed to do anything meaningful to respond to the aggression and threats directed at Voucher holders.
The Relman Colfax litigation team include Sara Pratt and Michael Allen. Their co-counsel are Mattye Jones and Paige Mebane, from the CoatsRose law firm based in Dallas, Texas.
A copy of HUD’s Reasonable Cause Determination can be found here and a copy of the HUD Charge can be found here.
Class Action Against Nation’s Largest Single-Family Rental Housing Provider, Progress Residential, Filed Over Discriminatory Rental Policies by FHCCI and Indianapolis Resident
INDIANAPOLIS, IN—The Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana (FHCCI) and Indianapolis, Indiana resident, Marckus Williams, have filed a class action complaint against Progress Residential, the nation’s largest single-family rental provider. This complaint alleges discriminatory practices perpetuated by Progress against Black renters through arbitrary criminal history policies. The lawsuit alleges that Progress enforces blanket bans on certain justice-involved applicants without assessing individual circumstances, disproportionately affecting Black applicants who are systematically overrepresented in criminal justice statistics.
Marckus Williams—an exemplar of personal redemption and community development—was denied housing by Progress due to outdated criminal records, including records that had been expunged, despite over a decade of serving his community. “Being unfairly barred from housing not only challenges my identity; it underscores a broader societal issue of systemic bias,” Mr. Williams asserts.
With a management portfolio exceeding 90,000 homes, Progress's alleged discriminatory practices are believed to have a widespread and detrimental impact on minority applicants across the company’s service area. The proportion of Black people disqualified by Progress’s blanket ban on renting to people with misdemeanor convictions between 2019 and 2021 is 4.44 times greater than the proportion of white people affected. For those with felony convictions between 2012 and 2021, the disparities are even greater, as the proportion of Black applicants disqualified is 8.16 times greater than the proportion of white people disqualified.
The complaint details how there are pervasive racial disparities at every juncture of the criminal justice system in this country, including the areas where Progress operates. Black individuals are more likely than their white counterparts to be stopped, arrested, convicted, and incarcerated. By automatically excluding applicants with certain kinds of justice-involvement, Progress’s policy disproportionately excludes Black applicants from the company’s thousands of rental units.
“These actions by Progress are not merely against the law—they are ethically unconscionable and perpetuate systemic disadvantage,” remarked Amy Nelson, FHCCI’s Executive Director.
This class action signifies an urgent call to amend the entrenched policies of this housing provider giant, safeguarding the civil rights of Black rental applicants who have been unlawfully denied residency. Valerie Comenencia Ortiz, an attorney at Relman Colfax, emphasized, “This complaint seeks to dismantle barriers and uphold rightful housing opportunities for victims of racial discrimination.”
If you believe you have experienced similar discrimination involving this company, please contact us here. Your voice matters, and by coming forward, you can help ensure justice is served and prevent future harm.
A copy of the filed complaint can be found on the FHCCI’s News Page or Enforcement Page.
The FHCCI and Mr. Williams are represented by Lila Miller, Valerie Comenencia Ortiz, Ellora Israni, Esmeralda Hermosillo, and Jake Hogan of Relman Colfax and Russell Cate and Matthew Keyes of RileyCate.
Previous news items are available here. |
Resources and useful links
Special reports
Copies of special reports such as Analyses of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice released by local jurisdictions as well as other reports done by MVFHC on zoning and predatory lending are available on the reports page.
HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton

The Home Ownership Center is a non-profit organization that empowers local residents to achieve and sustain homeownership and financial success. They’ve helped thousands of individuals and families meet their homeownership goals through a variety of services offered at low or no cost. You can reach the HomeOwnership Center at 937-853-1600.
Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST is an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that promotes compliance with the Fair Housing Act design and construction requirements. Visit www.fairhousingfirst.org for instruction programs and useful online resources.
Additional Landlord/Tenant info
Also, if you are a landlord or a tenant wanting information on your rights and duties under Ohio law, the Dayton-Montgomery County Ombudsman's Office has a page about landlord/tenant issues.
Equal Housing Opportunity usage guidelines
Guidelines on the usage of the "Equal Housing Opportunity" logo and slogan are available online in the Services/Reference section.
Fair Housing Advertising Word and Phrase List
A word and phrase list intended as a guideline to assist in complying with state and federal fair housing laws is available online in the Services/Reference section.
Reasonable Modifications and Accommodations
Have questions about what your rights or responsibilities are under the federal Fair Housing Act for persons with disabilities? Now available online in the Services/Reference section are joint statements from the Department of Justice and the Department of Housing and Urban Development that explain reasonable modifications and accommodations.
Service Animal Policy
A Service Animal Policy is now available available online in the Services/Reference section. The policy explains what service animals are and how they are a reasonable accommodation under the Federal Fair Housing Act and also provides practice guidelines for housing providers and for tenants.
Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. To learn how you can save money in your home, visit www.energystar.gov.
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