December 2002 Newsletter
In
November, 2002, the North Dakota Fair Housing Council (NDFHC) was notified
that it had received an eighteen month grant for $273,810 from the U.S.
Department of Housing & Urban Development’s Fair Housing Initiatives
Program.
The grant will provide funding for the investigation of allegations
of housing discrimination in North Dakota and eastern South Dakota.
The grant also funds education and outreach projects in the same
project area. A start date for
the grant has not yet been established.
In September, 2002, the NDFHC was notified that
the Renter’s Hotline (701/232-RENT or 1-800-726-7960) out of Fargo would
be disconnected due to lack of funds.
The NDFHC
will attempt to answer questions on landlord/tenant issues based upon
information available on state law. However,
the NDFHC is only funded to assist individuals in which allegations of
housing discrimination have been based.
For legal advice on a landlord/tenant issue, you should contact a
private attorney.
OTTO BREMER PROVIDES GRANT TO NDFHC
In October, 2002, the North Dakota Fair
Housing Council (NDFHC) was notified that it had received a grant for $36,173 from the
Otto Bremer Foundation to prevent, reduce, and eliminate housing
discrimination in North Dakota.
The Otto Bremer Foundation’s mission is to be an accessible
and responsible resource to aid in the development and cohesion of
communities within the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and
Montana with preference given to those communities served by the
affiliates of Bremer Financial Corporation.
Under this grant, the NDFHC will perform outreach projects to
educate housing providers and service users on housing discrimination laws
in Bremer Bank communities. The
grant will also assist in the investigation of complaints of housing
discrimination.
Mayor John Warford, with confirmation of the Bismarck
City Commission, has named the following individuals to the Mayor’s
Committee on Human Relations: Kameran
Ali, Dina Butcher, David Gipp, Bob Gomez, Lola Huwe, Wes Long Feather, Amy
Schauer Nelson, Aruna Seth, and Rose Stoller.
The Committee’s mission is to protect
and promote the personal dignity of all Bismarck citizens and eliminate
any discriminatory barriers that prevent them from reaching their full
human potential. The Committee
will seek to make education and compliance a meaningful and visible
strategy as it works to recognize the value of a diverse community.
The NDFHC has assisted a number of North Dakotans in filing fair housing
complaints this year with the North Dakota Department of Labor’s Human
Rights Division. A
description of the most recently filed complaints follows:
· The
NDFHC received an allegation of discrimination from a single mom with
child who was denied housing at a Bismarck property.
The NDFHC tested and found that families with children were told
several were ahead of them while those without children were able to view
the property. Comments also
made that building had a lot of elderly in it and that a per person charge
was in place. The NDFHC filed
a complaint alleging discriminatory treatment against families with
children.
· The
NDFHC received an allegation of discrimination from a single mom with
child who was denied housing at a Bismarck property.
The NDFHC tested and found that a mother and child were denied
housing, while a married couple was not denied but charged an additional
$30/month for the extra person. The
NDFHC filed a complaint alleging discriminatory treatment against families
with children and due to status with respect to marriage.
· The
NDFHC assisted a Grand Forks client in filing a fair housing complaint in
September, 2002 alleging discriminatory treatment due to disability.
The client had attempted to purchase a condominium and notified the
Association of the presence of her therapeutic animal.
The Condo Association then met and passed resolutions which the
client alleged were extremely restrictive in regards to the animal.
LEGISLATION
IN
NORTH DAKOTA
With the 2003 legislative session
beginning in January in North Dakota, below is info provided to the NDFHC
that may be of interest to readers.
For those interested in disability
legislation, Legislative Working Committees are “the pipeline” for
people with disabilities, family members and advocates to network and
receive information about disability-related legislation.
Each week, group facilitators will review new bills introduced, the
status of pending bills and upcoming hearing schedules.
Participants are encouraged to express their individual experiences
and views to Legislators and will receive support and assistance, upon
request, with contacting their individual Legislators or with preparing
testimony.
Legislative Working Committees are not
“owned” by any one group but are supported by many individuals and
organizations that care about people with disabilities.
The goal of the Legislative Working Committees is to educate people
with disabilities, family members and advocates about the Legislative
process, disability-related legislation, and the protocol for
communication with State Senators and Representatives.
For more information on Legislative
Working Committees, contact the Protection & Advocacy Project, Phone:
701/328-2950: Toll free: 1-800-472-2670; TDD relay: 1-800-366-6888; or
email: panda@state.nd.us
It has also been reported to the NDFHC,
that the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition will be asking the North
Dakota Legislature to establish a North Dakota Commission on Human Rights
in 2003, which would assist the Division of Human Rights in the North
Dakota Department of Labor in addressing issues of discrimination in North
Dakota.
The legislation proposes that the
Commission on Human Rights in North Dakota would have a membership that
would include members of the protected classes in North Dakota (i.e.,
people of color [including Native Americans], people from other countries,
people with disabilities, and women).
The language states that the members of
the Human Rights Commission would bring information on discrimination and
human rights issues out from the Division of Human Rights and into the
communities of North Dakota. If
you are interested in learning more about this legislation or any other
human rights legislation, you should contact Cheryl Bergian, Director, North Dakota Human Rights
Coalition, P.O. Box 1961, Fargo, ND 58107-1961; phone:
701/239-9323;
email:
cherylbergian@ndhrc.org
& web: www.ndhrc.org
Dickinson
Appointments
The Dickinson City Commission has named
nine members to its newly created Human Relations Commission.
New appointees are: Roberta
Biel, Gail Ebeltoft, Rhonda Ehlis, Mary Jo Gonzales, Jerry Mayer, Jackie
Miller, Bryan Personne, Ronald Reichert and Al Tamayo.
The new commission will use education
and leadership to promote acceptance and respect for diversity and to
discourage discrimination.
NDFHC WEB SITE
The NDFHC has had a change in web site
hosts. Effective immediately,
the new web site address for the NDFHC is www.ndfhc.org
NEXT NEWSLETTER
Dates, times and locations of upcoming
fair housing workshops in North and South Dakota.
Publications List to update yourself or
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