1999 Best Practices
Success Stories

Program Name:	Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Buffalo
Program Focus:	Fair Housing
Geographic Area:	New York/New Jersey

State:	New York
City:	Buffalo

Executive Summary
If you live in Buffalo, NY, and feel as if you have been denied housing solely on the basis of your ethnicity, you are not alone. For the past 37 years, the nonprofit Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) program has assisted residents of the Buffalo metropolitan area and adjoining counties in western New York with resolving housing discrimination complaints.

To determine the depth and magnitude of housing discrimination within the community, HOME actively recruits and trains African-American and Caucasian individuals to test the housing market. The information collected from the test is used to help determine the housing industry’s occurrences of discrimination based solely on ethnicity.

In 1997 HOME and its six individual clients filed a lawsuit against Governor George Pataki and the New York State Division of Human Rights because of their gross failure to administer New York fair housing laws. In 1999, because of the compelling evidence, HOME and its clients won the judgement. The program’s longevity also testifies to its success. HOME has been in existence for 37 years and is the only program of its kind in the eight counties west of Buffalo.

If you still are not convinced about the success of this program, take note of one of its major successes, one of which is demonstrated by the size of its membership list. Currently, the membership role includes 600 dues-paying individuals and organizations. In addition to receiving local media coverage for its efforts, HOME won an award in 1994 from the New York Bar Association for the organization’s contribution to the rule of law and the administration of justice.

For HOME, uncovering an act of housing discrimination is easy; the hard part is staying within a limited budget. Several prominent law firms heard the organization’s cry for help and agreed to provide pro bono litigation services. The citizens of Buffalo are fortunate to have HOME on their side. The organization is committed to continuing to fight unjust practices by the housing industry toward residents because of their ethnic background.

Partners: Residents of Buffalo

Financing: Various funding sources.

Point of Contact: Scott Gehl, Phone: (716) 854-1400