December 2000 | |||
Partnership members stop for a photo during a Fair Housing event in downtown Tulsa |
Fighting for Fair Housing In April 1999, Community Builder C. Lyn Larson spearheaded actions to convene the first meeting of what has now become the Fair Housing Partnership. The Partnership has trained almost 200 landlords in two separate training sessions. These seminars are now institutionalized and will be conducted annually. The training program has been certified for Continuing Education Credits for real estate professionals. During the April celebration of Fair Housing Month, the Partnership conducted a series of highly visible outreach and education events. The events included: a children's poster contest, a Fair Housing Proclamation by the Mayor of Tulsa, and a fair housing outreach fair held in Tulsa’s downtown Bartlett Square. The fair featured information from 15 exhibitors, the poster contest awards ceremony and diverse entertainment. Also participating was Floyd May, Deputy Assistant Secretary for FHEO and Tulsa’s Mayor sponsored a reception. The events received wide coverage by the local media. The children’s posters were displayed in the local art museum throughout the summer, and used as the backdrop for Tulsa Home Ownership Week press conference. Since its inception, the group has doubled its membership and now includes: City of Tulsa Department of Human Rights, City of Tulsa Urban Development, Tulsa Area Alliance on People with Disabilities, Tulsa Housing Authority, Oklahoma Human Rights Commission, Greater Tulsa Realtors Association, NAACP, Tulsa County HOME Consortium, and Legal Services of Eastern Oklahoma. Currently, the Fair Housing Partnership is implementing its strategic plan designed to institutionalize its programs and goals. This includes a focus group research methodology designed to gather meaningful information about discrimination in the Tulsa area. In addition, Ms. Larson is leading the effort to develop a Memorandum of Understanding to address implementation of the research findings.
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