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.
News
Fair Housing News – September 2022
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.
Rental Housing Provider to Pay $450,000 for National Origin, Race, and Familial Status Discrimination at Bucks County Apartment Complex
The Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania (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 potential applicants based on national origin, race, and familial status. In May of 2019, HECP was contacted when a family had their application for tenancy rejected by Aspen Grove Apartment Homes due to the complex’s policy of requiring that all adults have a social security number. The husband had a social security number,
Fair Housing News – August 2022
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.
DOJ, CFPB, and PA, NJ, and DE Attorneys General Settle Redlining Case Against Trident Mortgage
“Trident’s unlawful redlining activity denied communities of color equal access to residential mortgages, stripped them of the opportunity to build wealth, and devalued properties in their neighborhoods” -Attorney General Kristen Clarke Established by the Federal Housing Administration and the Home Owner’s Loan Corporation in the 1930s, the discriminatory practice of redlining labeled communities of color as too risky to invest in through federal loan programs. It was nearly impossible for individuals living in neighborhoods that were not homogenously White to receive federally insured loans. Redlining kept Black residents from accessing the capital to make necessary changes to their homes and encouraged
Fair Housing News – June 2022
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.
Fair Housing News – May 2022
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
Fair Housing News – March 2022
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.
Fair Housing News – February 2022
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
Fair Housing Profiles: Dorothy Mae Richardson
As we celebrate Black History Month by honoring the stories of our communities, the Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania recognizes the tireless work of housing advocates and everyday people who dared to imagine and curate communities of inclusivity. Dorothy Mae Richardson is one of the many activists we honor during the month of February. During a time when urban renewal and racist lending practices excluded Black residents from economic advancement, Richardson was able to leverage the assets of her community to provide housing opportunities to many Black residents. Her contributions to the housing justice movement have had a lasting impact