The Lakewood Family Collaborative Shines The Light On Housing Discrimination

Lakewood Family Collaborative Meets Monthly for Networking and Presentations

February’s meeting of the Lakewood Family Collaborative on Thursday, February 28, 2012 at the Women’s Pavilion at 1 p.m. will spotlight the Housing Research & Advocacy Center (the Housing Center), a fair housing agency. Mandy Mehlman, Fair Housing Community Educator, will be presenting issues facing the community regarding housing discrimination and services offered by the Housing Center.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that two million instances of housing discrimination occur on an annual basis. However, less than 1% of people who experience discrimination file a complaint. The difference in the actual number of cases of discrimination and the number of complaints filed is due in part to the public’s lack of knowledge of both fair housing rights and the complaint process. Over the past two years, the Housing Center has trained nearly 1,000 on fair housing laws. The agency regularly conducts fair housing law seminars and events for landlords, property managers, real estate professionals, social service providers, government officials, community organizations, and Northeast Ohio residents. Free events are listed on the Housing Center website.

This presentation is part of the Lakewood Family Collaborative’s ongoing Spotlight series occurring the fourth Thursday of every month at the Women’s Pavilion from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Free and open to the public, these informative networking events are geared toward area agency and organization professionals, as well as businesses and residents, concerned with the success of Lakewood families.