Mississippians Participate in Virtual Region IV Fair Housing Summit

Mississippians Participate in Virtual Region IV Fair Housing Summit.

Over 1200 stakeholders attended the Virtual Region IV Fair Housing Summit on February 22, 2022, including many from Mississippi. Field Office Director Jerrie Magruder co-planned the event along with Shea Johnson, Georgia Field Operations Director, and Kristine Foye, South Carolina Field Office Director. The Summit touched on traditional topics, but also addressed areas not often covered by FHEO sessions. Tiffany Cobb, Deputy Regional Administrator kicked the session off, and Regional Administrator Jose Alvarez gave the background on the Fair Housing Act.

John Joplin, ESQ, Housing Director of the Mississippi Center for Justice was a featured speaker. Introduced by Ms. Ashley Lowe, FHEO Programs and Compliance Director for Mississippi, Mr. Joplin discussed the status of LGBTQ Housing Discrimination. He expanded on Bostock v. Clayton County (and some other cases) and President Biden's Executive Order 13988 (www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/25/2021-01761/preventing-and-combating-discrimination-on-the-basis-of-gender-identity-or-sexual-orientation) of January 20, 2021 - Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation to show how the fair housing act can cover the LGBTQ community.

Carlos Osegueda, HUD Region IV Director of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, and provided Region IV Fair Housing statistics and contrasted them to national statistics. Richard Cho, PhD, Senior Advisor in the Office of the Secretary, discussed Fair Housing Criminal History-Based Practices and Policies and how they can intersect with fair housing laws. "Service and Emotional Support Animals and Accommodations/Modification of Units" was covered by Marvin Caldwell, Jr., Deputy Commissioner for Compliance Programs, SC Human Affairs Commission. Familial Status and Fair Lending were topics covered by Charles President, Director of HUD Jacksonville Fair Housing; and Staci Gilliam, HUD Regional FHEO Program/Compliance Director.

The Fair Housing Act protects people from discrimination when they are renting or buying a home, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other housing-related activities. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability.

If you believe you have been a victim of housing discrimination, follow these steps to file a fair housing complaint:

Because there are time limits on when a complaint can be filed with HUD after an alleged violation, you should submit a complaint as soon as possible. When submitting a complaint, please provide as much information as possible, including:

Your name and address;
The name and address of the person(s) or organization your complaint is against;
The address or other identification of the housing or program involved;
A short description of the event(s) that cause you to believe your rights were violated; and
The date(s) of the alleged violation.

Learn more about the types of complaints investigated.

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