Every April, we recommit our efforts to end housing discrimination and commemorate the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act in 1968 by celebrating Fair Housing Month. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the rental and sale of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), familial status, or disability. Ohio law also prohibits housing discrimination based on ancestry and military status.
Despite passage of the federal Fair Housing Act more than 55 years ago, there is still much work to be done to ensure housing justice for all. We are excited to be engaged in this work and will continue to demand equal housing opportunities for all Ohio residents.
This year, we are especially excited to announce the launch of the Fair Housing Center of Southeast and Central Ohio, a project of Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio, focused exclusively on ending housing discrimination across 36 Ohio counties.
Although our fair housing project has a new name and logo, our efforts to ensure equal housing opportunity in Southeast and Central Ohio started back in 2020. Since that time, we have investigated over 1,100 housing discrimination complaints. More than half of those complaints are based on disability-related housing discrimination such as a housing provider’s failure to grant a reasonable accommodation.
Fighting to end sexual harassment in housing has also been a primary focus of our work, leading us to team up with the Department of Justice to stop repeat offenders. And in Central Ohio, we are fighting for the rights of new Americans to gain access to housing by fighting race, national origin, and religion-based discrimination.
If you or your organization are interested in learning more about fair housing protections and the work of the Fair Housing Center in your community, please reach out to Kristen Lewis at klewis@lasco.org to schedule a fair housing event.
If you want to help us fight housing discrimination in southeast and central Ohio, consider becoming a fair housing tester. Learn more about fair housing testing at www.fairhousingsco.org.
