You Can Make a Change: April is Fair Housing Month!

This April, celebrate National Fair Housing Month with the National Association of REALTORS®, Fair Housing Council of Oregon, and RMLS™. April 11th marks the 48th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of housing. It is an issue vital to everyone in the housing industry, from REALTORS® to short-term tenants. Each April, National Fair Housing Month is observed to spotlight this important issue.

How can your office observe Fair Housing Month? Here are a few ideas:

• The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) regularly publishes online content about fair housing in the industry. Explore the most recent offerings, such as Window to the Law: Disparate Impact Liability and Fair Housing, and moderate an office discussion about fair housing practices at your next office meeting.
• NAR’s REALTOR® Action Center suggests displaying materials related to Fair Housing in your brokerage office. Could you get your town to declare April as Fair Housing Month? They can help!
• Fair Housing Council of Oregon (FHCO)  will be on hand at several events this April to answer questions and talk to the public. Catch them at Portland’s Mexican Consolate from 10am-3pm on April 4th and April 8th; the Asian and Pacific Islander Community Improvement Association Home Buyer Fair on April 9th; and the Latino Cultural Festival on April 24th.
• If you like museums, consider a visit to “Anywhere but Here,” FHCO’s traveling exhibit of housing discrimination in Oregon. The public can view the exhibit at the following locations:

March 28-April 8
Clackamas County Housing Rights and Resource Center
2051 Kaen Road
Oregon City, OR

April 11-April 22
The Portland Building
1120 SW Fifth Ave
Portland, OR

April 25-May 6
Yamhill County Housing Authority
135 NE Dunn Place
McMinnville, OR

May 9-May 20
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
9205 SW Barnes Road
Portland, OR

• RMLS™ staff members frequently join FHCO’s Fair Housing Bus Tour that rolls around Portland in April. The tour makes stops at sites important to Portland’s fair housing history and includes speakers who personally experienced housing discrimination, speaking firsthand about the discrimination they faced.

How does your office celebrate Fair Housing Month? Share your ideas and resources below—we can all benefit from sharing what we know.