Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California

"The issue of racially biased appraisals was front and center in Sacramento Thursday. State leaders held an important hearing on the topic of racial disparities in housing following ABC7 News' exclusive reporting on the issue. The Fair Housing advocates of Northern California is now representing the Curtis family as they file a complaint with HUD and are in conversations with the Austin's about a lawsuit. The executive director of FHANC is hopeful the potential solutions disc...ussed Thursday will lead to fewer instances of racially biased appraisals." - Julian Glover ABC7 https://abc7news.com//state-assembly-holds-heari/10448773/

Let's #StopAsianHate and take action together. Please visit bit.ly/AALeadersResources. We also encourage people to support groups such as Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Hollaback!, which have joined forces to offer important bystander intervention training sessions to help allies fight back against anti-Asian American xenophobic harassment to which they are witnesses. People should also support National CAPACD, an organization that helps organize and advocate for AAPI communities and neighborhoods.

The Marin County Government Rental Assistance Program is opening an online application on Tuesday, March 23rd. Low-income Marin County residents can apply to receive 80% of unpaid back rent due between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. This application does not ask for any citizenship information and is open to all eligible Marin County renters. Receiving assistance from this program does not affect public charge. To be eligible, an applicants’ combined household income* shou...ld be below the following by household size (your household includes anyone living in your unit, including children under 18): Household of 1: $97,600 Household of 2: $111,550 Household of 3: $125,500 Household of 4: $139,400 Household of 5: $150,600 Household of 6: $161,750 Household of 7: $172,900 Household of 8: $184,060 * this income will be determined by the household's current income, as opposed to annual income for tax purposes Questions? Please email [email protected], or call (415) 473-2223. Requests for disability accommodations may be made by phoning (415) 473-2223 (Voice), CA Relay 711 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Please do not call the line more than once, as it slows down the process. Staff will be available to assist applicants who do not have access to a computer or smart phone or need additional assistance. More information is available at www.MarinCounty.org/RentalAssistance

La Programa de Asistencia con la Renta con el Condado de Marin está comenzando con su aplicación electrónica el 23 de marzo. Inquilinos de bajo ingresos en Marin pueden recibir asistencia con 80% de la renta que no han pagado (deuda al arrendador) entre el 1 de abril de 2020 y el 31 de marzo de 2021. Ofrecemos este programa a todos que viven en el condado de Marin, independientemente de su estado de ciudadanía. Recibiendo asistencia de esta programa no se afecta el cargo públ...ico. Para ser elegible, los ingresos* combinados de la casa del solicitante deben ser bajo los próximas puntos por tamaño de casa (una casa esta definido a incluir todos quienes están viviendo en su unidad de casa, incluyendo niños al menor de 18 años): Casa de 1: $97,600 Casa de 2: $111,550 Casa de 3: $125,500 Casa de 4: $139,400 Casa de 5: $150,600 Casa de 6: $161,750 Casa de 7: $172,900 Casa de 8: $184,060 * estos ingresos serán determinados por los ingresos actuales, a diferencia de los ingresos anuales que se utilizan para el pago de impuestos. ¿Preguntas? Por favor envíe un correo electrónico a [email protected], o llame (415) 473-2223. Para solicitar acomodaciones para personas con discapacidades, llame (415) 473- 2223 (voz), CA Relay 711 o por correo electrónico [email protected]. Por favor deja de llamar la línea más de una vez. Nuestro personal estará disponible para ayudar a personas que no tienen acceso a una computadora o teléfono que puede conectarse al internet, o si necesita ayuda completando la solicitud. Más información está disponible en www.MarinCounty.org/RentalAssistance

ICYMI: U.S. And California History Directly Impacts Housing Instability During COVID-19 https://bit.ly/3r1Y22L

On behalf of the FHANC staff, we offer our condolences to the families of the people killed in Atlanta. As an agency we condemn all acts of racism and violent white supremacy. Anti-Asian attacks have increased locally in the Bay Area as well as nationally. We recognize these attacks as hate crimes and stand in solidarity with our Asian and Pacific Islander friends and family. We are dedicated to eliminating discrimination in our neighborhoods, and call for all to join in the ...protection and support of AAPI in our community. An act of hate violence that occurs against Asian Americans or other groups in a residential setting may well be a violation of the Fair Housing Act, and in California, the Ralph Civil Rights Act protects individuals from hate violence or threats of violence. (See https://www.dfeh.ca.gov/hateviolence/ for examples of hate crimes.) If you have witnessed or experienced such an act, call FHANC. We also encourage people to support groups such as Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Hollaback!, which have joined forces to offer important bystander intervention training sessions to help allies fight back against anti-Asian American xenophobic harassment to which they are witnesses. People should also support National CAPACD, an organization that helps organize and advocate for AAPI communities and neighborhoods.

ABC7News featured a couple from Marin County who received a low-ball appraisal they believed was due to their race. The couple describe the very low appraisal they received after investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in their new home. The couple decided to test the appraisal and had their white friend pose as the homeowner. The second appraisal came in over 50% more than the original appraisal, an increase of $500,000. Discrimination in appraisals is a relatively recent focus for many fair housing advocates, though systemic race discrimination in housing transactions -- on the basis of rental, sales, lending, and insurance -- is well established. Stories like the Austins' represent the consistent barriers Black Americans face in accumulating wealth. https://abc7news.com//marin-couple-shorted-$500k/10331076/

Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California is pleased to present: Successfully Housing People with Disabilities A Conference on Fair Housing Law and Reasonable Accommodations Thursday, February 25, 2021 9:30 am 1:30 pm Via Zoom... The conference offers an overview of the federal and state fair housing laws, followed by small group discussions to help find practical solutions to commonly asked questions from housing providers and tenants on reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities during the application, occupancy, and eviction stages. The conference is appropriate for: Rental housing providers in the public and private sectors Resident & property managers Staff of assisted living facilities Housing and disability advocates Service providers and fair housing staff Persons with disabilities Attorneys and legal services staff Anyone who regularly works with persons with special needs Pre-registration is required to attend. The registration fee is $20 per person. Scholarships are available. Contact us for more information. https://bit.ly/2OrUKrZ

Marin County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a rent freeze ordinance for West Marin and Marin City census tracts. The San Rafael City Council previously passed an ordinance for a census tract that includes the Canal neighborhood, an area with the highest rates of coronavirus cases in Marin County and an area devastated by the financial impact of COVID-19; the Novato City Council followed suit with an ordinance for two of its census tracts. FHANC and other advocates lobbied for these measures and other tenant protections. https://bayareane.ws/3tKTeRU

FHANC Executive Director, Caroline Peattie, called on the following legislators to pass the COVID relief bill with significant housing relief funding: Congressman Jared Huffman, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, Congressman Mike Thompson, Congressman Jerry McNerney, Congressman John Garamendi, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Dianne Feinstein. FHANC joins other housing and civil rights groups calling for the following provisions in Congress’s next #COVID re...lief bill: $25B in direct assistance to homeowners facing COVID-related hardships At least $100M for housing counseling ~$40M for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program https://bayareane.ws/3tKTeRU

FHANC is co-sponsoring Fair Housing Center of San Diego's 'Fair Housing for Our Future - Laws and Litigation Conference'. The virtual conference begins tomorrow 2/10 at 8:30am. The list of speakers is phenomenal! Register today at www.fhconference.com

Save the Date - Fair Housing Center of San Diego presents "Fair Housing for Our Future - Laws and Litigation Conference" on February 10 through 12. This conference will focus on strategies to repair, restore, and refine fair housing in a post-pandemic America and features three days of phenomenal speakers, including special guests the honorable Deb Haagland, U.S. Representative and current nominee for Secretary of the Interior, Christina M. Greer PhD, Fordham University, and Mark Charles, author of "Unsettling Truths". For full roster of speakers, sponsors, and to register, please visit www.fhconference.com. CLE credits available for Attorneys and Fair Housing Realtors.