April is Fair Housing Month

Fair unfettered access to decent, safe, affordable housing in diverse, inclusive communities of their choosing fundamentally impacts families’ safety, stability, and quality of life; education and employment opportunities; and access to health care, credit, food, and transportation.

Every April, the City of Lakewood joins fair housing organizations and communities across the country in the celebration of National Fair Housing Month.

Fair Housing Month commemorates the 1968 passage of the federal Fair Housing Act which prohibits discrimination in housing and housing-related activities based on a person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, or disability.

Lakewood’s fair housing ordinance expands the list of protected classes from (7) to (9) prohibiting housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

For additional information and resources, including how to file a fair housing complaint, please visit  Lakewood’s fair housing web page @ http://www.lakewoodoh.gov/accordions/fair-housing/ or contact City’s Fair Housing Officer (216-529-7680 / daniel.wyman@lakewoodoh.net). The Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research (http://www.thehousingcenter.org/) also assists Lakewood residents with fair housing issues.