fair housing Archives -

The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin or sex. Intended as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the bill was the subject of a contentious debate in the Senate, but was passed quickly by the House of Representatives in the days after the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The Fair Housing Act stands as the final great legislative achievement of the civil rights era….

Title VIII of the proposed Civil Rights Act was known as the Fair Housing Act, a term often used as a shorthand description for the entire bill. It prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin and sex….

On April 4—the day of the Senate vote—the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had gone to aid striking sanitation workers. Amid a wave of emotion—including riots, burning and looting in more than 100 cities around the country—President Lyndon B. Johnson increased pressure on Congress to pass the new civil rights legislation.

Since the summer of 1966, when King had participated in marches in Chicago calling for open housing in that city, he had been associated with the fight for fair housing. Johnson argued that the bill would be a fitting testament to the man and his legacy, and he wanted it passed prior to King’s funeral in Atlanta.

After a strictly limited debate, the House passed the Fair Housing Act on April 10, and President Johnson signed it into law the following day.
History.com

Oregon’s Bureau of Labor & Industries oversees Fair Housing complaints. The website states the following:

What is fair housing?

Fair housing is the right to choose and live in a home free from unlawful discrimination.

Oregon’s laws protect people from being treated differently because of your: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, whether or not you have kids, disability (also: source of income, domestic violence survivors, marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity).

If you think you are being discriminated against when looking for a home, applying for housing or home financing, or if your landlord isn’t accommodating your disability, you can file a complaint here.

Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries protects your civil rights at home.

Sometimes housing discrimination looks like…

You are required to pay a different security deposit than someone of a different race
Your family is offered different rental options or prices than people without children
You are directed to housing in a particular area, neighborhood or section of the complex instead of being allowed to make that choice yourself.
You’re evicted after your landlord finds out your sexual orientation…you’re treated differently, denied services, or singled out because of one of the protected traits listed above.

We can help

The Fair Housing Act gives you the legal right to file a complaint. And it is illegal for anyone to threaten you with eviction or to harass you for filing a fair housing complaint against them.

It’s free to file a complaint and you don’t need to have a lawyer.

If you’re not sure you need to file a complaint but something feels wrong, you can give us a call at 971-673-0761 or email [email protected]. We’ll help you navigate the process.

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.
~ Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.

This year especially, we as a people must actively focus on working for equality and justice for all Americans, and not assume that our leaders have our best interests in mind when making and enforcing our laws. It’s up to each of us to help make sure that all Americans have the same rights that we were promised – justice for all.

Fill in the blank…

“I have a _________…”

It doesn’t take a psychic to know what word you chose.

Was it “dream”?

Good chance it was. We all know this line from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech. So when we hear those first three words, it sort of naturally comes to mind.

But what many people aren’t aware of is how much he affected the lives of real estate agents, buyers, and sellers.

It was his death that gave Congress the last push needed to pass the Fair Housing Act, back in 1968. It’s pretty involved, but to put it simply…

This was put in place to ban racial discrimination in housing. You can’t be refused the rental or purchase of a house, based on your race (and now several other “protected classes”).

Seems simple enough to most people now. A given, if you will. But it didn’t happen overnight. And believe it or not, it still can and does come up.

But guess who is a big part of making sure this Act is followed…

On the front lines, it’s real estate agents. We’re tasked with making people aware that discrimination based on race (and many other things) is not acceptable, and we must refuse to work with anyone who wants to do so.

Real estate agents, like me, are proud to be a part of this ongoing history.

Today is the day where we take a moment to reflect and pay him respect. It’s also a good day to share some insight into how much more responsibility real estate agents have than meets the eye