Post by Planet Asia on Dec 31, 2005 8:54:23 GMT -5
Housing Group Alleges Race Discrimination in Post-Katrina Renting
By Paul J. Weber, Associated Press
DALLAS (AP) - A fair-housing watchdog has accused five apartment complexes in Texas, Florida and Alabama of discriminating against Hurricane Katrina evacuees who are black. The complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development were based on a telephone survey by the National Fair Housing Alliance.
The group said white callers posing as hurricane victims were treated more favorably than black applicants in 66 percent of its inquiries. NFHA president Shanna Smith said the organization used linguistic profiling to choose its testers, saying the test makes the race of the caller "pretty clear."
The report, released Tuesday, said blacks were less frequently told about available apartments, didn't have phone messages returned as promptly and generally had a more difficult time getting information from agents.
The complaints against three apartment complexes in Dallas, one in Birmingham, Ala., and one in Gainesville, Fla., also ranged from whites receiving lower rates to apartment agents informing black callers of no availability, moments after telling white callers that units were available.
Complaints against two Dallas complexes, both owned by Atlanta-based Gables Residential, include allegations that agents mentioned specific income requirement for black callers but not for whites.
Gables spokesman David Margulies said the company was caught off-guard by the report, adding that Gables has provided housing for more than 470 hurricane victims and donated $50,000 in hurricane-earmarked aid to the Red Cross.
"We are surprised and dismayed by these allegations," Margulies said. "That is not how we do we business."
St. Louis-based Michelson Realty, owners of the other Dallas complex, did not immediately return messages left at their offices.
Landlords who are found guilty of discriminating against applicants can face fines up to $11,000 per complaint, said Bryan Greene, HUD's director of policy for the office of fair housing.
Greene said HUD has received about 60 complaints from hurricane-displaced apartment seekers since Katrina forced tens of thousands to evacuate in August. He said some cases have been resolved, adding that HUD tries to settle issues before getting courts involved.
The NFHA's test included 65 sets of calls to apartment complexes in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. Smith said each complex was called three times within a short period, twice by white callers and once by a black caller.
Smith said more complaints could be filed but said the group will wait for HUD to investigate before taking any further action.
The Washington, D.C.-based alliance is a consortium of 120 private, nonprofit fair housing organizations and civil rights groups from 37 states.
www.blacknews.com/pr/postkatrina101.html
By Paul J. Weber, Associated Press
DALLAS (AP) - A fair-housing watchdog has accused five apartment complexes in Texas, Florida and Alabama of discriminating against Hurricane Katrina evacuees who are black. The complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development were based on a telephone survey by the National Fair Housing Alliance.
The group said white callers posing as hurricane victims were treated more favorably than black applicants in 66 percent of its inquiries. NFHA president Shanna Smith said the organization used linguistic profiling to choose its testers, saying the test makes the race of the caller "pretty clear."
The report, released Tuesday, said blacks were less frequently told about available apartments, didn't have phone messages returned as promptly and generally had a more difficult time getting information from agents.
The complaints against three apartment complexes in Dallas, one in Birmingham, Ala., and one in Gainesville, Fla., also ranged from whites receiving lower rates to apartment agents informing black callers of no availability, moments after telling white callers that units were available.
Complaints against two Dallas complexes, both owned by Atlanta-based Gables Residential, include allegations that agents mentioned specific income requirement for black callers but not for whites.
Gables spokesman David Margulies said the company was caught off-guard by the report, adding that Gables has provided housing for more than 470 hurricane victims and donated $50,000 in hurricane-earmarked aid to the Red Cross.
"We are surprised and dismayed by these allegations," Margulies said. "That is not how we do we business."
St. Louis-based Michelson Realty, owners of the other Dallas complex, did not immediately return messages left at their offices.
Landlords who are found guilty of discriminating against applicants can face fines up to $11,000 per complaint, said Bryan Greene, HUD's director of policy for the office of fair housing.
Greene said HUD has received about 60 complaints from hurricane-displaced apartment seekers since Katrina forced tens of thousands to evacuate in August. He said some cases have been resolved, adding that HUD tries to settle issues before getting courts involved.
The NFHA's test included 65 sets of calls to apartment complexes in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. Smith said each complex was called three times within a short period, twice by white callers and once by a black caller.
Smith said more complaints could be filed but said the group will wait for HUD to investigate before taking any further action.
The Washington, D.C.-based alliance is a consortium of 120 private, nonprofit fair housing organizations and civil rights groups from 37 states.
www.blacknews.com/pr/postkatrina101.html
