FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 28, 2020

CONTACT:
Beth White, GIPC Executive Director
(317) 327-3820 |beth.white@indygipc.org

Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee Launches
Racial Equity Pro Bono Legal Surge Team during National Pro Bono Week and
Seeks Volunteer Lawyers

INDIANAPOLIS – The Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee (GIPC) has launched a new pro bono initiative through its Race and the Legal Process Working Group to address a pressing need within the Indianapolis community. The COVID-19 pandemic and other pervasive barriers to economic opportunity have had a devastating impact on members of the Black and Brown communities in Indianapolis, as well as on other marginalized people. Looming evictions, unemployment, and economic and family stress are new and emergent threats to an already at-risk population.

The initiative coincides with National Pro Bono Week, which highlights the indelible difference that pro bono lawyers make to our communities and to the clients they serve. As economic conditions worsen, the need for pro bono services is increasing as more people struggle to afford access to an attorney.

GIPC is composed of community leaders and has engaged for over 55 years to improve Indianapolis. In June 2020, GIPC formed the Race and the Legal Process Working Group, led by Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law Dean Karen Bravo to address racial justice and equity issues. A key focus of the Working Group is to provide a surge of attorneys to devote time and expertise to serving members of the Indianapolis community during this critical time.

“The need in our community, especially Black, Latinx and other vulnerable groups affected by COVID-related hardship, is great during this time. We are lucky to have excellent legal aid organizations in Indianapolis, as well as attorneys to help meet the growing demand for legal services,” said Dean Bravo.

GIPC initiated the Pro Bono Legal Services Surge Team to provide immediate, short-term legal assistance to the most vulnerable members of the Indianapolis community. Hon. Myra Selby, former justice of the Indiana Supreme Court and partner at Ice Miller, chairs the Team, which is collaborating with three local legal aid organizations: Indianapolis Legal Aid Society, Indiana Legal Services, and Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic. These organizations have asked for legal services assistance for clients in the areas of eviction, unemployment insurance (administrative law), family law, and tax law.

“I encourage interested lawyers to join our effort,” said Selby. “We’ve been heartened by the Indianapolis community commitment to the principles of racial equity this year. This effort of the legal community stepping up to do their part is one of many examples,” said Mary Chandler, GIPC Chair.

Interested attorneys can take three action steps: (i) complete a Volunteer Lawyer Information Form, available here: <ahref=”http://bit.ly/gipcprobono”>bit.ly/gipcprobono; (ii) personally commit to accepting at least one pro bono matter, if offered, in 2020-2021; and (iii) share the opportunity with attorney colleagues and friends and ask them to make the same commitment. Volunteer attorneys will be matched with one of the three legal aid organizations and will be provided training and support.

About the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee

Founded in 1965, the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee (GIPC) is a private, non-profit, and non-partisan organization that provides a forum in which leaders of the public and private sectors of Indianapolis can work as partners to study, discuss, and address issues of concern and areas of opportunity which affect the progress of the city. Driven by business and civic leaders, GIPC represents the bipartisan alliance that is a continuing example of public-private partnership in Indianapolis.
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For Immediate Release
Contact: Tony Mason (317) 693-7603 | tmason@indplsul.org

WISH-TV TO BROADCAST SPECIAL EDITION

OF “All INDIANA POLITICS”

ELECTION PRELUDE WITH
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS DONNA BRAZILE AND MICHAEL STEELE TO JOIN DISCUSSION OF NATIONAL AND LOCAL RACES

INDIANAPOLIS (October 23, 2020) – Tony Mason, Indianapolis Urban League, President & CEO, today announced the Indianapolis Urban League is partnering with WISH-TV for a special, commercial free, hour-long edition of All INdiana Politics to air Wednesday, October 28, at 6:00 p.m., ahead of the 2020 general election.

This special edition of All INdiana Politics will feature Donna Brazile and Michael Steele, national contributors and former heads of the Democratic and Republican National Committees’ respectively. In a point and counter-point discussion, Brazile and Steele will join a discussion of national and local races sharing their common views of the deep divide in which find ourselves in American politics and what we must do to move forward.

Topics to be discussed include, but are not limited to: the economy, social/race issues, voter suppression/early voting, COVID-19 response/CARES act, the Supreme Court, and healthcare.

In addition to national perspective, local contributors John Zody, Indiana Democratic Party chair, and Republican strategist Pete Seat, former communications manager for the Indiana Republican Party and White House press staffer, will offer localized insight and response to the issues discussed.  Zody and Seat will also address statewide races, Indiana election law, and how Hoosiers can work to bridge the ever-widening partisan gap at both the state and national level.

News 8 anchors Brooke Martin and Phil Sanchez will host this special edition with a welcome from Indianapolis Urban League President and CEO, Tony Mason.

“The Indianapolis Urban League is pleased to bring together the nationally recognized expertise of Ms. Brazille and Mr. Steele to the residents of Central Indiana as they finalize their electoral decisions on what could be the most important political presidential race of modern times.

Even as our nation grapples with the unanticipated scourge of the COVID 19 infection, record unemployment and economic displacement, and increased challenges meeting the daily realities of our newly complicated lives, it is more important than ever that all Hoosiers be deliberate in making informed decisions when casting their ballots at all levels of government” said Mason.

“We are very excited to bring Hoosiers this special edition of All INdiana Politics during this important political season,” said Al Carl, WISH-TV news director.  “In particular, this broadcast aims to provide viewers bi-partisan perspective on key national and local issues facing the electorate.  It’s our goal to empower voters with the information they need to cast their ballots decisively.”

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Donna Brazile:  Veteran Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile is an adjunct professor, author, syndicated columnist, television political commentator, vice chair of voter registration and participation at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and former interim national chair of the DNC as well as the former chair of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute.

Michael Steele:  Political analyst, is an MSNBC contributor, radio host, author, writer, former chair of the Republican National Committee, and former lieutenant governor of Maryland – the first African American elected to statewide office there.

All-new, weekly versions of All INdiana Politics can be seen in its regular time period, Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on WISH-TV.

About Indianapolis Urban League:
Founded in 1965, the Indianapolis Urban League is a nonprofit, non-partisan, interracial, community-based, human services agency dedicated to assisting African Americans, other minorities and disadvantaged individuals to achieve social and economic equality. Annually, the IUL provides direct services and advocacy in the areas of: education and youth services, economic and workforce development, health and quality of life, civic engagement and leadership, and civil rights and racial justice empowerment. IUL is one of 90 affiliates of the National Urban League serving 300 communities in 36 states and the District of Columbia. For more information visit indplsul.org

About WISH-TV:
WISH-TV has continued to set the standard for television excellence in Central Indiana, since 1954.  The station has been honored as “Television Station of the Year” by the Indiana Broadcasters Association, for its “Overall Excellence” by the Edward R. Murrow Awards, and as “Outstanding News Operation,” “Outstanding Weather Operation,” “Best Newscast,” and “Best Website” by the Indiana Associated Press Broadcast Association.  WISH-TV offers viewers 77 hours per week of local news and local programming and provides around the clock information on its digital platforms. WISH-TV is locally owned and operated by Circle City Broadcasting and is an affiliate of The CW network. The station serves more than a million households.

Veteran Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile is an adjunct professor, author, syndicated columnist, television political commentator, vice chair of voter registration and participation at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and former interim national chair of the DNC as well as the former chair of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute.

Political analyst Michael Steele is an MSNBC contributor, radio host, author, writer, former chair of the Republican National Committee, and former lieutenant governor of Maryland – the first African American elected to statewide office there.

TOPICS:

• Economy
• Social/Race issues
• Voter Suppression/Early voting
• COID 19
• CARES/Additional Stimulus
• Supreme Court
• Health Care
• 2012 Impact

Note: topics are subject to changed based on news and news releases in the upcoming days.

INDIANAPOLIS – October 21, 2020 – Al Carl, WISH-TV news director, today announced a special, commercial free, hour-long edition of All INdiana Politics will air Wednesday, October 28, at 6:00 p.m., ahead of the 2020 general election.

Brought to you in part by the Indianapolis Urban League, this special edition of All INdiana Politics will be hosted by News 8 anchors Brooke Martin and Phil Sanchez, and will feature national contributors Donna Brazile and Michael Steele, representing the Democratic and Republican parties respectively.  Topics to be discussed include, but are not limited to: the economy, social/race issues, voter suppression/early voting, COVID-19 response/CARES act, the Supreme Court, and healthcare.

Veteran Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile is an adjunct professor, author, syndicated columnist, television political commentator, vice chair of voter registration and participation at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and former interim national chair of the DNC as well as the former chair of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute.

Political analyst Michael Steele is an MSNBC contributor, radio host, author, writer, former chair of the Republican National Committee, and former lieutenant governor of Maryland – the first African American elected to statewide office there.

“We are very excited to bring Hoosiers this special edition of All INdiana Politics during this important political season,” said Carl.  “In particular, this broadcast aims to provide viewers bi-partisan perspective on key national and local issues facing the electorate.  It’s our goal to empower voters with the information they need to cast their ballots decisively.”

In addition to national perspective, local contributors John Zody, Indiana Democratic Party chair, and Republican strategist Pete Seat, former communications manager for the Indiana Republican Party and White House press staffer, will offer localized insight and response to the issues discussed.  Zody and Seat will also address statewide races, Indiana election law, and how Hoosiers can work to bridge the ever-widening partisan gap at both the state and national level.

All-new, weekly versions of All INdiana Politics can be seen in its regular time period, Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on WISH-TV.

WISH-TV has continued to set the standard for television excellence in Central Indiana, since 1954.  The station has been honored as “Television Station of the Year” by the Indiana Broadcasters Association, for its “Overall Excellence” by the Edward R. Murrow Awards, and as “Outstanding News Operation,” “Outstanding Weather Operation,” “Best Newscast,” and “Best Website” by the Indiana Associated Press Broadcast Association.  WISH-TV offers viewers 77 hours per week of local news and local programming and provides around the clock information on its digital platforms. WISH-TV is locally owned and operated by Circle City Broadcasting and is an affiliate of The CW network. The station serves more than a million households.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2020

JUDGE RULES THAT CENSUS MUST NOT BE RUSHED; VICTORY FOR CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS, CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California last night issued an order blocking the Trump administration’s attempts to rush the 2020 Census to a close while a legal challenge to that plan plays out in the courts. The court’s order preliminarily enjoins the Census Bureau and Secretary of Commerce from using a September 30, 2020 deadline for the completion of data collection and a December 31, 2020 deadline for processing and then reporting the census count to the President.  Under the Court’s Order, the census count will continue through October 31, as the Census Bureau had earlier planned, and its data processing will continue under a timeline that allows for a full, fair and accurate overall tabulation and reporting of the total population to the President..

District Judge Lucy H. Koh issued her ruling after a hearing Tuesday afternoon in National Urban League et al. v. Wilbur L. Ross Jr. et al., the lawsuit filed by civil rights groups, civil organizations, and tribal and local governments on August 18 to block the administration’s attempt to rush census operations to a close by September 30 and send population numbers for apportionment to the President by December 31. The plaintiffs sought to stop the Trump administration’s plan to force the Census Bureau to shorten the 2020 count against the judgment of the bureau’s own expert staff and in the middle of a pandemic.

The court had already issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the administration from shutting down its census operations while the court prepared the ruling it issued today.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are membership and advocacy organizations, counties, cities, federally-recognized Indian tribes, and individuals whose communities will be underrepresented in the final census count if the administration succeeds in ending the 2020 Census data collection and processing prematurely. The plaintiffs are the National Urban League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, the League of Women Voters, the Navajo Nation, Gila River Indian Community, Harris County in Texas, Commissioners Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia of the Harris County Commissioners Court, King County in Washington, the city and county of Los Angeles, the cities of San Jose and Salinas (California) and  the City of Chicago, Illinois.

The plaintiffs are represented by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Latham & Watkins, LLP, Public Counsel, Navajo Nation Department of Justice, the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney, the Office of the Salinas City Attorney, Edelson P.C., the Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, and Holland & Knight LLP.

The Covid-19 pandemic posed new challenges to the decennial census, including massive displacements of people, just as the count was getting underway. It upended all census field operations and undermined outreach to populations that the bureau has long struggled to count, including racial and ethnic minorities, non-English speakers, and undocumented persons.

Bureau officials requested an extension of census data collection, processing, and reporting deadlines to accommodate a Covid-19 plan that President Trump publicly supported, and spent multiple months acting on that plan. But on August 3, Commerce Secretary Wilbur L. Ross and Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham abruptly announced that the data-collection would stop on September 30, a full month short of the time census officials had previously said was necessary to complete the count.

The lawsuit argues that the Trump administration’s new, accelerated census timeline cuts a crucial four weeks from the actual count and four months from the time for processing and reporting the data used to apportion the U.S. House of Representatives. The abrupt change disregards the bureau’s own plans for dealing with the hardships imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It will also undermine the quality and accuracy of the census as well as produce a massive undercount of communities of color.

The lawsuit argues that the administration’s attempts to rush the census to a close pose a grave threat to the vital functions that rely on census data, from reapportioning the House of Representatives and redrawing state and local electoral districts to equitably distributing over $1.5 trillion annually in federal funds that support basic needs like education, food, and health care.

The lawsuit seeks to have the court declare the decision to scuttle the census Covid-19 plan unlawful because it violates the Administrative Procedure Act as well as the Enumeration Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.

The suit asks the court to keep the 2020 Census on the schedule proposed by census officials in April in response to Covid-19. Under that plan, the bureau would complete the census, including door-knocking, by October 31, 2020, and deliver apportionment numbers to the president by April 30, 2021. Redistricting data would be reported to the states by July 31, 2021.

For the ruling, please click here.

The following comments are from:

Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League
“The court’s decision affirms our contention that changes to the census schedule will irreparably harm the integrity of the 2020 Census and result in a devastating undercount of vulnerable communities.  Career officials at the Census Bureau opposed the shortened schedule precisely for these reasons, and to avoid the perception of political manipulation, and we are confident that integrity and equity will win out over the partisan vandalism that threatens our democracy.”

Jonathan Nez, President, Navajo Nation
“We have a strong and diverse coalition of plaintiffs who are demanding that the U.S. Census Bureau uphold their original plan to allow the census count to continue through the month of October. The coronavirus pandemic has set all of us back and created many challenges to get people counted, especially for rural areas such as the Navajo Nation. Today’s ruling should be respected to allow the census count to continue without disruption.”

Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
“In the face of a global pandemic, the last thing we should consider is cutting short the decennial census that has long-lasting repercussions on the well-being, health, and livelihood of so many Americans. The decision to continue the census will ensure proper attention is given to overlooked and unreported areas that need to be counted the most.”

Nana Gyamfi, Executive Director, Black Alliance for Just Immigration
“We are pleased with the court’s ruling, affirming what we already know – every person counts and must be counted in this 2020 census. For the Black community, this decision means we have extra time to claim the governmental resources and representation that we’ve been denied. We look forward to continuing the important work of making sure our community members are counted by the census deadline.”

Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor, Gila River Indian Community
“The decision by the Commerce Department to abruptly cut off counting would have dramatically compounded the historic issue of undercounting in Indian Country. I couldn’t be more pleased that the court has put things back on track for a fairer and more accurate count, both for our tribe and for all tribes across the country.”

Virginia Kase, CEO, League of Women Voters of the United States
“Today’s decision is a victory for democracy. Census officials outlined an extended counting period in order to achieve the full enumeration of all people living in the United States. The effort to rush the timeline set by our trusted census experts was a blatant attempt to force an undercount, deprive American communities of critical funding, and undermine the accuracy of our representative districts. The League now urges the American public to fill out the census and ask their friends and family to do the same. Our democracy depends on it.”

Rodney Ellis, Harris County Precinct One Commissioner, Texas
“Today’s decision helps ensure a fair and accurate Census count for Harris County, Texas. An undercount within Harris County’s multi-racial and multi-ethnic communities, which have not yet responded to the Census, will perpetuate the inequities already faced by these communities.”

Sam Liccardo, Mayor, City of San Jose
“Today, against powerful forces of exclusion and elitism, the court has vindicated a fundamental American principle: everyone counts.  We are proud to join forces with our partners to hold the Trump Administration accountable to our nation’s constitutional commitments.”

Mike Feuer, Los Angeles City Attorney
“Today’s injunction is a major victory in our fight for an accurate census count—which is crucial to fair political representation and the proper allocation of essential federal resources. The court saw through the Trump administration’s efforts to camouflage its political interference in what is supposed to be the neutral, nonpartisan process of counting every American. Now, with little time to lose and so much at stake, I urge everyone to take the few moments necessary to be included in the census.”

Dow Constantine, Executive, King County, Washington
 “Today’s ruling reaffirms that in America, everyone counts and everyone deserves to be counted. At every turn, the 2020 census has been politicized and many residents have felt alienated and targeted by these senseless actions. Today’s ruling allows the full window of enumeration to occur so that our communities are counted fairly and accurately.”

Mark Flessner, Corporation Counsel, City of Chicago
“The Trump administration once again showed its blatant political agenda in trying to halt census operations early. The ruling today is a significant win to make sure all are counted.”

Christopher A. Callihan, Salinas City Attorney
“Democracy depends on giving a voice to even those people who are hard to count.  Today is a victory for Salinas’s hard to count population and for everyone who believes in a free and fair representative democracy.”

Melissa Arbus Sherry, Partner, Latham & Watkins
“We are gratified by the Court’s well-reasoned and swift ruling on this important, time-sensitive case.  As the Court recognized, the Census Bureau has itself repeatedly recognized that a full, fair, and accurate count takes time, especially when faced with a historic pandemic. Every day that the 2020 Census count continues, and Census operations appropriately continue, will help ensure the accuracy and completeness of this once-in-a-decade tally.”

Thomas Wolf, Senior Counsel and Spitzer Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice
“Today’s ruling is a significant victory in the ongoing fight to save the 2020 Census from a critical undercount of our country’s communities of color. The census must count everyone, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or citizenship status. To do that in the face of Covid-19, hurricanes, and wildfires, the Census Bureau needs all the time it asked and planned for in the spring. The court’s order will give that time back to the Bureau by blocking the Trump administration’s illegal decision to shut down the census early.”

Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director, Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
“The court’s decision ensures that our underrepresented and most vulnerable communities will not be disadvantaged by an unfair and incomplete census count. With this directive, the Trump administration was attempting to fan the flames of racial division, further divide our country and exclude communities of color from the final enumeration. The court’s decision repudiates the 11th hour actions of the Trump administration and makes clear that our democracy turns on achieving a full and fair count of all people across our nation.”

CONTACT:
Teresa Candori, National Urban League, tcandori@nul.org, 212-558-5362
Abraham Paulos, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, abraham@baji.org, 773-425-6944
Mireya Navarro, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, mireya.navarro@nyu.edu, 646-925-8760
Kathleen Fieweger, the City of Chicago, Illinois, Kathleen.Fieweger@cityofchicago.org
Donald R. Pongrace, Gila River Indian Community, dpongrace@akingump.com
Melody Patelis, (Commissioner Pct 1), Harris County, Texas, Melody.Patelis@cp1.hctx.net
Chase Gallagher, King County, Washington, Chase.Gallagher@kingcounty.gov
Jamie Zuieback, Latham & Watkins LLP, Jamie.Zuieback@lw.com, 202-701-4038
Don Owens, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, dowens@lawyerscommittee.org, 202-934-1880
Kayla Vix, League of Women Voters of the United States, KVix@lwv.org, 202-809-9668
Rob Wilcox, Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney, rob.wilcox@lacity.org, 916-396-0400
Marc Banks, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, dbanks@naacpnet.org
Marquita Garnenez, Navajo Nation, mgarnenez@nndoj.org; and Jason Searle, jasearle@nndoj.org
Michael Mutalipassi, Office of the Salinas City Attorney, michaelmu@ci.salinas.ca.us, 831-758-7073
Rachel Davis, Office of the Mayor of San Jose, rachel.davis@sanjoseca.gov, 408-535-4857

URBAN LEAGUE LEADERS:  GRAND JURY DECISION IS AN AFFRONT TO BREONNA TAYLOR’S MEMORY

LOUISVILLE, KY (September 23, 2020) — Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, and Sadiqa N. Reynolds, Esq., President & CEO of the Louisville Urban League, issued the following joint statement in response to a grand jury’s failure to seek justice for the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.

Perversion of justice is too feeble a term to describe the grand jury’s decision not to file a single criminal charge related to Breonna’s death. It is an affront to Breonna’s memory, and to the millions of Americans who have stood in solidarity with Breonna’s family and marched in the streets in her name.

The barrage of gunfire that endangered Breonna’s neighbors is the very same gunfire that took Breonna’s life. It is incomprehensible to suggest that the risk of injuring neighbors is a crime but the actual killing of an innocent young woman is not.

Breonna’s family has waited six months for justice, only to be slapped in the face by the grand jury’s indifference. Where is the swift hand of the law that took only hours to charge Kenneth Walker with attempted murder for a single gunshot, fired in fear for his and Breonna’s lives? Where do the Black victims of police misconduct go to find that kind of justice?

We are a community in despair but we do not seek revenge, as Attorney General Daniel Cameron so offensively suggested. We seek healing. We seek change. We ask our brothers and sisters to demonstrate with us peacefully in Breonna’s name, and we plead with city authorities and police to allow us space to express our grief without provocation.

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CONTACT: Teresa Candori, 212-558-5362 | tcandori@nul.org

About the National Urban League:

The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in New York City in 1910, the National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 90 local affiliates across the country through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people annually nationwide. . Visit www.nul.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @NatUrbanLeague.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

 Contacts:         Amy Nelson, Executive Director, Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana 317-644-0673 x1001

anelson@fhcci.org

Nancy Haynes, Executive Director, Fair Housing Center of West Michigan 616-451-2980

nhaynes@fhcwm.org

Jeff Dillman, Co-Director, Fair Housing Project, Legal Aid of North Carolina 919-861-1884

jeffd@legalaidnc.org

Arthur Crosby, Executive Director, Lexington Fair Housing Council 859-971-8067

art@lexingtonfairhousing.com

FAIR HOUSING GROUPS REACH SETTLEMENT EXPANDING HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN

 INDIANAPOLIS, IN (September 14, 2020) – Today, the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana (FHCCI), the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan (FHCWM), the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina, and the Lexington Fair Housing Council announce a conciliation agreement with Pierce Education Properties to expand fair housing opportunities for families with children. Pierce Education Properties manages a portfolio of 27 student housing complexes, encompassing approximately 5,715 individual units across 18 states. The agreement will open up access for families with children to over 12,830 rentable bedroom units.

“We commend Pierce Education Properties and plan to hold them as a model for other student housing portfolios in how they worked to quickly address the issues in the filed complaint and fully open their housing to students with children,” stated Amy Nelson, Executive Director of the FHCCI. “Those with children face housing barriers far too often and sometimes must make challenging choices in finding safe and affordable housing while building toward their futures.”

“This agreement recognizes that today’s college student population is made up of people from all age groups and backgrounds. Over one-third of students attending post-secondary institutions last fall were over the age of 24. Some have spouses and children and others are single parents attending college either full-time or part time,” said FHCWM Executive Director, Nancy Haynes. “Student housing management companies need to be mindful that their policies and practices do not exclude or place an unfair rent burden on students with children. Student housing should provide equal housing opportunity for all students.”

The agreement is the resolution of a fair housing complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) in December 2019 alleging violations of fair housing laws against families with children. The 2019 complaint alleged an ongoing pattern of discrimination through the Respondents’ enforcement of a one person per bedroom policy regardless of the size of the bedroom, local occupancy code, or HUD issued guidance. The fair housing groups conducted a joint investigation across several states regarding the Respondents’ policies and how they were marketed and maintained. The investigation found that a single student with a child as young as one year old would be required to rent an extra bedroom instead of sharing with his/her child. The investigation also uncovered that a married student couple with a child could not rent a two bedroom unit under the Respondents’ then policies.

HUD did not make a determination as to the validity of the allegations, and Pierce Education Properties denied the allegations and admitted no wrongdoing, but agreed to settle the claims by entering into a Conciliation Agreement with HUD and the private fair housing groups. In order to settle the complaint, Pierce Education Properties agreed to pay $50,000; change their occupancy policy to provide equal housing opportunity to families with children; revise their marketing materials to be inclusive of all students regardless of familial status, age, disability, and other protected classes under fair housing law; and train their employees and managers across the nation on fair housing, among other terms to ensure compliance with fair housing laws.

Finding a decent, affordable place to live can be extremely challenging for students. Those with children face added barriers in locating housing near campuses that will rent to them with their child or children. A recent report by the National Fair Housing Alliance found that 11.15% of the filed complaints with HUD involved discrimination against families with children. Another study found that 14% of community college students are homeless.

Jeff Dillman, Co-Director of the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina, stated, “Throughout the country, families with children face great difficulty finding safe, affordable housing. Overly-restrictive occupancy policies can unlawfully deny them housing they are otherwise qualified for, and the current pandemic has only exacerbated the problem. We hope that Pierce Educational Properties’ new policies will serve as a model for other housing providers to ensure that they provide families with children an equal opportunity to housing.”

“There is an affordable housing crisis throughout the nation. Families with children often have limited options that they can afford, and they often feel excluded from apartments that house college students. This settlement will help change some of those misperceptions,” stated Arthur Crosby, Executive Director, of the Lexington Fair Housing Council.

The fair housing groups were represented in this enforcement action by Relman Colfax PLLC attorneys Jia Cobb and Kali Schellenberg, and paralegal Charlotte Saltzman. A copy of the conciliation agreement can be found on the FHCCI’s News Page.

 

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The Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana (FHCCI) is a private, nonprofit fair housing organization founded in 2011 and based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Its mission is to ensure equal housing opportunities by eliminating housing discrimination through advocacy, enforcement, education, and outreach. More information on the FHCCI at: www.fhcci.org

The Fair Housing Center of West Michigan is a private, non-profit fair housing organization committed to providing comprehensive fair housing services, including education, outreach, research, advocacy and enforcement. The Fair Housing Center is the front door to housing choice, ensuring that everyone in our community has equal opportunity to choose housing that’s right for them. You can learn more about the FHCWM at: www.fhcwm.org

The Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina works to eliminate housing discrimination and to ensure equal housing opportunity for all people in North Carolina through education, outreach, public policy initiatives, advocacy and enforcement. Learn more about the Fair Housing Project at www.fairhousingnc.org

The Lexington Fair Housing Council is a full-service, nonprofit civil rights agency committed to eradicating discrimination in housing. The Fair Housing Council enforces the federal Fair Housing Act, the Kentucky Fair Housing Act, and the local fair housing ordinances (where applicable). The Lexington Fair Housing Council is the only private nonprofit fair housing agency in Kentucky and investigates complaints throughout the Commonwealth. More information at: lexingtonfairhousing.com

The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported in part by funding under a grant with the

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the federal Government