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Fair Housing

It's the Law

Discrimination, based on race, color, religion, gender, disability, familial status or national origin, in connection with the sale or rental of most housing and any vacant land offered for residential construction or use, is illegal under the Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3601-3619) and under the Texas Fair Housing Act. It is also illegal to threaten, intimidate, or interfere with anyone exercising a fair housing right or assisting others who exercise that right.

In addition to the Fair Housing Act and the Texas Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended (29 U.S.C. 794) prohibits the discrimination of persons based on their disability by employers and organizations that receive financial assistance from any Federal department or agency, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Section 504 gives individuals the right to live in federally subsidized housing free from discrimination on the basis of disability.

• You can find a brief overview of the Fair Housing Act/Texas Fair Housing Act here.
• You can see a list of all Federal laws regulating fair housing here.
• You can connect to the HUD Section 504 Portal here.

What We are Doing to Further Fair Housing

The City of Dickinson actively seeks to promote fair housing in our community. We are taking steps to ensure our residents are aware of their rights and have access to information regarding fair housing laws and practices. The City has developed a Fair Housing Activity Statment (FHAST Form) and a Revised Long-Term Plan for Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing 2010-2015, which identifies impediments to fair housing in our community, reports past actions taken by the City to further fair housing, and describes current and future actions to be taken. Other City actions include:

Fair Housing Advisory Committee

In September of 2010, the City created a Fair Housing Advisory Committee to discuss and identify potential impediments to fair housing that may exist in the City of Dickinson. The FHAC meets regularly to address fair housing issues and determine possible solutions to those issues. The FHAC is made of representatives from different protected classes and representatives from Bay Area Houston Habitat for Humanity, Southeast Texas Housing Finance Corporation, and the Ministerial Alliance.

Housing Fair

On February 26, 2011, the City of Dickinson hosted its first Housing Family Fair to provide the opportunity to learn about community resources available to our residents. We had industry professionals on hand to answer questions and provide information about credit counseling, first time homebuyer programs, home builders, lenders and homebuyer education providers for more than 150 people who attended. Based on the response to the first Housing Family Fair, the City plans to host such an even on an annual basis.

Have You Been a Victim of Housing Discrimination?

Under the Fair Housing Act, it is against the law to...

• Refuse to rent or sell housing
• Tell someone housing is unavailable when in fact it is available
• Show individuals or families apartments or homes only in certain neighborhoods
• Set different terms, conditions, or priviledges for sal or rental of a dwelling
• Provide different housing services or facilities
• Advertise housing to preferred groups of people
• Refuse to provide information regarding mortgage loans, deny mortgage loans, or impose different terms or conditions on a mortgage loan
• Deny property insurance
• Conduct property appraisals in a discriminatory manner
• Refuse to make reasonable accommodations for persons with a disability if the accommodation may be necessary to afford such person a reasonable and equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling
• Fail to design and construct housing in an accessible manner
• Harass, coerce, intimidate, or interfere with anyone exercising or assisting someone else with his/her fair housing rights

…because of an individual's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, family status, or disability.

If you feel that your rights have been violated or that you have been discriminated against under the Fair Housing Act, Texas Fair Housing Act, or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the State of Texas or the City of Dickinson.

Information to have ready when filing a complaint:

• Your name, address, and contact information
• The name and address of the person your complaint is against
• The address or identification of the housing involved
• A short description of the alleged violation (i.e. what occurred to cause you to believe that your rights were violated)
• The date(s) of the alleged violation

Fair Housing/Equal Opportunity Complaints:

Department of Housing and Urban Development

You may file a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development through the REgional HUD Office in Ft. Worth:

• You may call 1-888-560-8913 or (817) 978-5900 or TTY (817) 978-5595
• You may also send the HUD complaint form or some other written statement to:

  Fair Housing Hub
  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  801 North Cherry Street, 27th Floor
  Fort Worth, Texas 76102

If you choose, you may file complaints with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development:

• You may file a complaint online with HUD by clicking here.
• You may print out a form and mail it to the Regional HUD office in Ft. Worth. Access the form here.
• You may also call HUD at (800) 669-9777 or TTY (800) 927-9275.

State of Texas

The Fair Housing enforcement agency for the State of Texas is the Texas Workforce Commission:

• You may file your complaint by going to the Division office located at 1117 Trinity St., Room 144-T in Austin, Texas
• You may call the Division office using the toll free number: 1-888-452-4778, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
• You may also write the division at:

  Texas Workforce Commission
  Civil Rights Division
  1117 Trinity Street, Room 144-T
  Austin, Texas 78701

City of Dickinson

Residents of the City of Dickinson may also contact the Fair Housing/Equal Opportunity/Section 504 Officer for the City. The Fair Housing/Equal Opportunity/Section 504 Standards Officer for the City of Dickinson is responsible for the oversight and compliance of fair housing and equal opportunity activities in the City. The current Officer is:

David Baker
Public Management, Inc.
2318 Center #111
Deer Park, TX 77536
(281) 479-1030

Resources:

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp

http://www.twc.state.tx.us/crd/housing_fact.html