FISA provided a $40,000 grant to Fair Housing Partnership to investigate the degree of housing discrimination faced by people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. By using best practices in fair housing testing, the group documented a 28% rate of clear discriminatory treatment. FHP states that this is the highest rate of discrimination they have ever documented. NOTE: disability-based housing complaints have far surpassed race-based complaints both locally and nationally.
Biased landlords reject deaf, test finds: Even if they qualify, impaired lose out
Friday, April 08, 2011
By Tim Grant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
www.post-gazette.com/pg/11098/1137772-455.stm
FHP has followed up on the clear cases of discrimination, filing complaints where appropriate. Every case that is settled requires landlord education on fair housing laws. FHP is also working on outreach to landlords to proactively educate them about the law. And they have provided several educational forums in the Deaf community so people know what their rights are, and when they are being discriminated against.
