[nagdu] Housing discrimination continues in Washington State

Tamara Smith-Kinney tamara.8024 at comcast.net
Tue Feb 9 19:38:31 UTC 2010


OMG!  How awful!

Good to know she has good people on her side to show her as well as to
remind her that she is not facing this alone.

Keep up the good work!

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Marion & Martin
Sent: Tuesday, February 09, 2010 5:20 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Housing discrimination continues in Washington State

Ginger,
    Thank you for sending this on to us! We are currently working with a 
woman in Naples, Florida who is suing her condominium association because, 
in their words, "she did not inform us when she was approved that she would 
be getting a guide dog!" The president of the association told one of the 
resident, now our prime witness, "We will get rid of that woman and her dog 
one way or another!" Every time she leaves her condo, she is followed and 
videotaped, apparently in an effort to intimidate her. She says that, when 
this happens, she remembers what I told her when we first started working 
with her: There are 60,000 blind people walking with her! We must - and 
will - fight this discrimination wherever and whenever it rears its ugly, 
ignorant head!

Fraternally yours,
Marion



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ginger Kutsch" <gingerKutsch at yahoo.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, February 08, 2010 3:08 PM
Subject: [nagdu] Housing discrimination continues in Washington State


> KPLU Local News
> Housing Discrimination Continues in Washington
> http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain/article/1/0/
> 1607868/KPLU.Local.News/Housing.Discrimination.Continues.in.Washi
> ngton
> Paula Wissel (2010-02-08)
>
> SEATTLE, WA (KPLU) -
> If you're a landlord, it's illegal to refuse to rent to someone
> because of their race, religion or disability. That has been the
> law for more than forty years. But, apparently the message has
> not gotten through to everyone.
>
> The Fair Housing Center of Washington, based in Tacoma, uses a
> very simple investigative method. It will send a white woman and
> an African American woman out and have them contact the same
> landlords. Housing Center spokeswoman Lauren Walker says the
> results are almost always disheartening.
>
> "It shocks me every time when I see the differences in treatment.
> The African American testers are told about higher prices for
> apartments. They're told about fewer units and sometimes they're
> told about later availability dates than the Caucasian testers,"
> she said.
>
> And, Walker says it isn't just race based discrimination that
> continues to be a problem.
>
> In the past year, the Fair Housing Center has tested for
> discrimination against people who have disabilities. The biggest
> issue has been landlords unwilling to rent to someone with a
> guide dog. Walker says people need to understand that a "no pets"
> policy can not be applied to service animals.
>
> The Fair Housing Center was just awarded one of two federal
> grants in the state to help enforce the Fair Housing Act. The
> grant is for $275,000.
>
> The Fair Housing Act was signed into law by President Lyndon
> Johnson back in 1968. For the past five years, Washington state
> has averaged 270 complaints filed under the Fair Housing Act.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Ginger Bennett Kutsch
> Morristown, NJ
>
>
>
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