Louisville Gets on the Bus for Fair Housing Month

Over 100 people gathered at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the National Fair Housing Act and Fair Housing Month. Housing leaders were on hand to provide opening remarks in support of this year's theme Our Work Today Defines Our Tomorrow, which was followed by a talk on Louisville's history of racial segregation provided by Dr. Catherine Fosl of the University of Louisville's Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice. Dr. Fosl covered over 100 years of history outlining trends and important events that led to the racial integration of Louisville's communities as they exist today.

Thereafter, nearly everyone joined the Get on the Bus: The Path Toward Equal Housing Opportunity tour, which was a 3-hour guided tour of important neighborhoods and communities within Louisville and how they have evolved over the past five to six decades. The tour guides were community leaders who had lived in Louisville and experienced the effects of segregation, the protests, and the discontent of the era. Marshall Abstain, Merv Aubespin, Raoul Cunningham, Dr. Catherine Fosl, Charlene Holloway, and Walter Hutchins served as the guides.

Many enthusiastic participants gathered to celebrate Fair Housing Month and to take the Get on the Bus tour.

Each year HUD and its Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) partner agencies receive and investigate about 9,000 complaints alleging discrimination based on the Fair Housing Act's seven prohibited bases: race, color, national origin, religion, gender, family status, and disability. Last year, disability was the most common basis of complaints filed with HUD and Fair Housing Assistance Program agencies, being cited as a basis for 4,376 complaints, or nearly half of all complaints. Race was the second most common basis of complaints, being cited as a basis for 2,595 complaints, or 29.4 percent of all complaints.

Anyone who believes that his/her fair housing rights have been violated can file a complaint by calling 1(800) 669-9777 (voice), (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Additional information is available at www.hud.gov/fairhousing and through our new fair housing mobile application for iPhone and iPad users.

###