1999 Best Practices
Success Stories

Program Name:			Arizona Fair Housing Partnership
Program Focus:			Fair Housing
Geographic Area:			Pacific/Hawaii
State:			Arizona
City:			Phoenix

Executive Summary
Many people in our nation are unaware of the existence of fair housing laws or are uninformed about how those laws may apply to them. In Arizona, this problem is now being addressed through an intensive educational campaign.

When the local Urban League, the Arizona Multi-Family Housing Association, HUD and officials from the Phoenix city government decided to collaborate on a fair housing educational campaign, their first steps were to determine the goals of the partnership and how the expertise of each organization would contribute to achieving the desired results. After much deliberation, the partners concluded that the most efficient and economical method for educating the public about fair housing is to initiate a massive media campaign.

The partners used a variety of media, such as television, radio, and print, to reach the broadest audience possible, including residents, landowners, business owners, property managers, and insurance companies. Tools included public service announcements, brochures, posters, fact sheets, and radio and newspaper advertisements.

In addition, the partnership inaugurated a series of Homeownership Fairs, which were held around the state. The fairs were a great success, drawing more than 5,500 attendees. The partners credit an aggressive $30,000 radio advertising campaign sponsored by Arizona’s Department of Commerce for helping attract so many fair-goers.

A second very successful event that received abundant media attention was the signing of the first unified and collaborative fair housing agreement for the state of Arizona. Nearly 80 percent of Arizona’s newspapers, radio and television stations covered the ceremony. The ceremony represented the first opportunity for government officials to share their interest in the issue of fair housing with Phoenix area residents. The collaborative fair housing agreement is a joint venture among the partners to promote fair housing throughout Arizona.

Informing residents is just half the battle. The next step is to begin educating the housing industry—from housing associations to landlords and insurance companies—to ensure that housing professionals know and fully understand fair housing laws and policies. Toward this end, the partnership has begun compiling statistics, case studies and pieces of information that will be used in the creation of much-needed training materials. In light of partnership’s past and current successes, its organizers are confident that this initiative will continue to grow and succeed in reducing housing obstacles for residents in the state of Arizona.

Partners: FHEO, Urban League, State Coordinator’s Office, Arizona Multi-Family Housing Association, City of Phoenix Government, and Numerous Government and Private Organizations

Financing: Arizona’s Department of Commerce

Point of Contact:

Louis Rhodes, Phone: 602-379-4434