BOISE - Statewide efforts to focus awareness on fair housing officially commence at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 2, when Governor Dirk Kempthorne will proclaim April Fair Housing Month. The Idaho Housing and Finance Association and its proclamation ceremony co-sponsors—the Idaho Association of REALTORS®, the Building Contractors Association, the Idaho Manufactured Housing Association, the Idaho Office of U.S. Housing and Urban Development and the Intermountain Fair Housing Council—will be on hand to underscore the importance of education, outreach and compliance to make certain that every Idaho family has access to housing opportunities. Other statewide housing policy issue partners are also expected to be in attendance.

"Ensuring fair and equal access to housing is everyone’s responsibility," said IHFA’s President and Executive Director Gerald Hunter. "Because the interpretation and application of fair housing law continues to evolve, we feel it is critical to provide current information to housing stakeholders." He added that many violations are unintentional and result when owners and property management staff aren’t up-to-date on the law and its technical implications.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on race or color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or handicap. Lack of knowledge regarding the law and its application is a major weakness in Idaho that can result in housing discrimination. When unfair housing practices cause a lack of housing options for Idaho families, family and community stability is undermined, affecting our ability to seek and retain employment and negatively impacting our children’s access to education, increasing the exposure to crime and reducing the quality of health care.

During 2002, IHFA and its partners—the Idaho Association of REALTORS®, the Building Contractors Association, the Idaho Manufactured Housing Association and the Idaho Department of Commerce (IDOC) plan to sponsor a number of workshops for rental property managers and owners emphasizing designing and building for accessibility and adaptability. Many fair housing complaints filed in Idaho involve physical barriers that restrict housing access for persons living with disability. IHFA, IDOC and their partners are active in education and outreach efforts, including the Idaho Housing Hotline (1-877-438-4472), the Idaho Fair Housing Advisory Committee and Accessibility Improvements Program at IHFA and the Idaho Community Review Project.

In addition, the Association continues to expand its bilingual outreach—several of IHFA’s brochures and videos are produced in both English and Spanish. In 2001 the Idaho Housing and Finance Association and the Idaho Department of Commerce sponsored six regional workshops presented by attorney Terry Kitay of the National Fair Housing Institute. They educated housing industry particpants on accessibility standards and were attended by more than 500 housing providers.

Although they receive special emphasis in April, the issues of fair housing are a concern year-round. Thirty-four years ago Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (commonly known as the Fair Housing Act) was created by Congress following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A year later the Idaho Legislature created the Human Rights Commission Act, prohibiting housing discrimination in Idaho.

For more information on Fair Housing Month in Idaho, please contact: John Eaton, Building Contractors Association, 377-3550; Mark Dunham, Idaho Association of REALTORS®, 342-3585; Jack Lyman, Manufactured Housing Association, 342-0031; Connie Hogland, Housing and Urban Development, 334-1088 (ext. 3002); Richard Mabbutt, Intermountain Fair Housing Council, 383-0695; or Reed Hollinshead, IHFA Public and Media Relations Officer, 331-4858. For more information on the Fair Housing Act, visit IHFA’s Web site: www.ihfa.org/research_fairhousing.asp.

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