To mark the 34th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act and Fair Housing Month 2002, a regional Fair Housing Summit was held at the St. Louis Sheraton City Center Hotel on Friday, April 19. The St. Louis Regional Fair Housing summit is becoming a tradition - this was the 4th Annual event - and this year's theme was "Beyond the Barriers: Bridges to Fair Housing."

This year's event, co-sponsored by the St. Louis Regional Fair Housing Collaborative and HUD's St. Louis and Springfield, Illinois Offices, was attended by more than 130 men and women from throughout the region. Keynote speakers included David Newburger, Attorney at Law, Newburger & Vossmeyer, L.L.C., St. Louis, and Floyd O. May, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations and Management, HUD Headquarters, Washington, D.C. Both speakers focused on the need for continued Fair Housing enforcement.

Attorney David Newburger addressed the need for continued Fair Housing enforcement throughout the St. Louis region.	Diane Bonner, Community Development Director for East St. Louis, IL, presented a Fair Housing proclamation from the city.

The Fair Housing Summit sets the tone and pace for advancing the mission of the St. Louis Regional Fair Housing Collaborative, and how local groups can help "bridge the gap" to fair housing throughout the region. The Summit also provides fair housing training workshops to educate and provide assistance to St. Louis residents, builders, public agencies, housing providers, architects, developers, and others to affirmatively further fair housing in the St. Louis Metropolitan and Metro-East Area.

Special workshops held in conjunction with this year's summit included Fair Housing Basics, Insurance and Appraisals, Predatory Lending, and Homeless Awareness.