JACKSONVILLE – Disability Rights Florida, Inc., the Protection and Advocacy Agency for the State of Florida, with the assistance of attorneys from the Florida Justice Institute, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, today filed a civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida against three Surfside Apartment complexes in Jacksonville Beach, […]
FJI Sues Apartment Complex for Race Discrimination on Behalf of HOPE and Other Applicants
The Florida Justice Institute has filed a lawsuit against the owners and operators of Aventura Harbor Apartments for race discrimination against prospective tenants. The case is brought on behalf of Housing Project Opportunities for Excellence (HOPE), a local fair housing organization that sent testers of different races to ask about the availability of apartments, and several individual […]
Symposium: An endorsement of forty years of effective fair housing enforcement
Morgan Williams is General Counsel of the National Fair Housing Alliance. Today’s decision in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project broke no new ground. It simply reaffirmed the consistent finding of the federal courts over the past four decades that the Fair Housing Act bars not only intentional discrimination, but […]
FJI, on behalf of HOPE Fair Housing Center, Files Race Discrimination Housing Lawsuit
Lawyers from the Florida Justice Institute (FJI) have filed a federal lawsuit alleging housing discrimination on the basis of race against a Miami apartment complex. Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence (HOPE), a local fair housing center, sent testers to ask about the availability of apartments. The Black testers were told that no apartments were available, […]
Housing Discrimination Lawsuit Filed
It was like a sting operation: send both black and white people into an apartment building posing as renters; then see if they’re treated differently because of the color of their skin. It resulted in a discrimination lawsuit being filed in federal court. “Discrimination, completely,” said Zipporah Hayes, one of the housing testers who went […]
Housing group charges racial discrimination at Miami apartment complex
When Zipporah Hayes arrived at Elite River View Apartments to ask about a two-bedroom apartment for rent, the rental manager told her there were no units available, according to a federal lawsuit filed against the apartment complex owner. Two hours later, Alexandra Del Rosario visited the same complex and asked about an apartment. The rental […]
FJI, On Behalf of HOPE Fair Housing Center, Settles Lawsuit Against Real Estate Companies for Housing Discrimination
FJI, on behalf of Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence (HOPE), filed a lawsuit against a real estate agent and two realty companies after the agent repeatedly told HOPE testers that children were not allowed to live in an apartment building, which is a violation of the Fair Housing Act. This was after the realtor had […]
A Battle for Fair Housing Still Raging, But Mostly Forgotten
It’s not something we think about a lot or something that gets reported on often, but once you start digging around some, it’s hard not to see the consequences of our country’s long, sordid history of housing discrimination everywhere racial disparities manifest. The giant wealth gap between black and Latino Americans and white folks. Shorter […]
Help Me Howard: Wheelchair Ramp
Imagine being a prisoner in your own home. Stuck in a wheelchair, unable to go outside because you don’t have a wheelchair ramp. Even worse, you cant get one. Why it’s one roadblock after another and it’s why one woman called Help me Howard with Patrick Fraser. WSVN — Some people lead charmed lives. Some […]
FJI Helps Secure Wheelchair Ramp for Elderly Woman
Linda Joyner uses a wheelchair for mobility, but found herself a prisoner in her own home. She was having trouble installing a permanent wheelchair ramp to get in and out of her house, after the temporary ramp she used eventually became too heavy for her to lift. Initially her landlord would not allow her to […]
FJI & Tripp Scott Settle Case for Spanish-speaking Couple Against Dania Beach Housing Authority
Carlos and Isabel Pomales are disabled, cannot work, and speak very little English. They tried to apply for a Section 8 housing voucher in Dania beach, but no application was available in Spanish, and all the employees of the Dania Beach Housing Authority refused to speak to them in Spanish. Because of their limited English […]
FJI Settles Housing Discrimination Case for HOPE Against Real Estate Company and Condo Association
FJI, on behalf of Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence (HOPE), filed a lawsuit against a real estate company and condominium association for violations of the Fair Housing Act. HOPE testers discovered that the association had a policy prohibiting children under a certain age from living in the condo, and the real estate company published an […]
FJI Settles Four Housing Discrimination Complaints on behalf of HOPE Fair Housing Center
FJI, on behalf of Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence (HOPE), filed a series of lawsuits against various real estate companies and condominium associations for violations of the Fair Housing Act. HOPE testers discovered that the associations had a policy prohibiting children under a certain age from living in the condo, and the real estate companies […]
FJI & LSGMI Achieve Policy Change and $254,000 Payout from Hialeah Housing Authority
The eight courageous plaintiffs in this case all attempted to apply for Section 8 housing vouchers from the Hialeah Housing Authority (HHA), but encountered numerous obstacles. The HHA refused to make accommodations in the application process for people with disabilities, requested decades-old documents that they were not permitted to request, and otherwise made it difficult […]
Hialeah Agency Agrees to Make Changes to Settle Housing Lawsuit
Hialeah Housing Authority operations will change under a settlement with low-income residents who were denied Section 8 rent subsidies. Read more.
Boca Raton Condo Association Sued Over Ban on Children
The Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches has filed a federal lawsuit against the Boca Teeca Condominium No. 9 Association. The suit, filed on Monday, accuses the condo complex of violating the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. The Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity investigated a complaint from real estate agent Margo […]