Category Archives: News

On July 7, the Department of Justice filed a complaint against AION Management on behalf of HECP, the Fair Housing Partnership of Greater Pittsburgh, and the National Fair Housing Alliance, for denying assigned parking spaces to prospective residents with disabilities. The three organizations investigated multiple apartment complexes managed by AION in Eastern and Western Pennsylvania and Delaware throughout 2020 and HUD issued a charge of discrimination earlier this year.

Individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ have legal recourse if they experience housing discrimination in any housing transaction or housing-related financial transaction. In 2021, under Executive Order 13988, federal protections regarding sex discrimination in housing were expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. All HUD-funded jurisdictions and housing programs are also obligated to prohibit sexual orientation and gender identity-based discrimination.

In December of 2022, HECP filed a complaint against ProManaged LLC in the federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania alleging that ProManaged’s policy and practice of refusing to accept Housing Choice Vouchers in predominantly white neighborhoods, while advertising that they accept them in majority Black neighborhoods, disparately treats and disparately impacts prospective Black renters in violation of the Fair Housing Act. HECP also filed a charge with the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations for violating the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance, which prohibits discrimination based on source of income, including housing assistance programs. Almost immediately, the parties reached

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HECP is excited to introduce our new Intake Specialist, Janis Stacy. Janis has been a community activist for racial and LGBTQI2S+ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Queer Intersex 2-Spirit) equity for over 40 years. She has run diversity trainings on trans inclusion and cultural competency about Indigenous American Two-Spirit and trans people. She has been a community activist for equity for over 40 years including in housing and homelessness.

HECP and a Bucks County couple have entered into an agreement resolving allegations that CM Bucks Landing 120, LLC, Residential Management (NY), Inc., and Aspen Grove Apartment Homes violated the Fair Housing Act by adopting and applying policies that discriminated against applicants based on national origin, race, and familial status.

On July 27, 2022, the Department of Justice, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Attorneys General of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware announced a resolution after a years-long investigation into redlining practices by Trident Bank. Under the consent order Trident has agreed to invest over $20 million to increase credit opportunities in neighborhoods of color in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. HECP collaborated with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office to conduct testing to support their investigations in Philadelphia.

HECP now has Know Your Rights as a Renter in Pennsylvania recorded webinars for consumers available in English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese on our new YouTube channel. These 20 minute trainings teach renters the basics of state and federal fair housing laws and Pennsylvania landlord tenant law.

The Philadelphia Police and Fire Federal Credit Union (PFFCU) has agreed to resolve a HUD complaint alleging that they violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against loan applicants who were on maternity leave. The complainants, a married couple, contacted HECP in February of 2021 when they were denied a home renovation loan because the wife was on maternity leave following the birth of their second child. The PFFCU refused to process the loan application despite the complainant receiving full pay during her leave and having a scheduled date to return to work. HECP investigated the complaint and assisted the

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Join the Housing Equality Center on Friday, April 22 from 10:00am-noon in a special fair housing month event centering on a solutions focused conversation addressing the barriers and challenges to attaining equitable and fair housing in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Hear from panelists with a variety of perspectives on diversity, equity, and equal opportunity in housing.

Bucks County property owner and manager, Mohamed Bacchus and Alan Zander, have agreed to resolve a federal lawsuit alleging that they violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against a tenant based on familial status and disability. The tenant contacted HECP in April of 2019 when the respondents refused to let his girlfriend move in with him because she was pregnant with his son and because he was in recovery from an addiction to alcohol. HECP assisted the complainant in obtaining legal counsel to represent him in pursuing a HUD complaint. After HUD investigated the complaint, it issued a charge

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