Fair Housing Council Marks 20 Years of Fighting Discrimination

Frederick White confirmed by telephone that an apartment in Covina was available for rent. However, when he arrived 40 minutes later, he was told by the white manager that there were no vacancies.

White, who is black, became suspicious. So he called the San Gabriel Valley Fair Housing Council, which sent white and black volunteers to inquire about the apartment.

The white person was told that an apartment was available, and the black person was told nothing was available, verifying White’s suspicion of discrimination. The council eventually negotiated a $500 settlement for White.

Discrimination Is ‘Strong and Alive’

Cases such as White’s have been handled by the housing council over and over again. Now, 20 years since its founding, the council continues to fight discrimination, which staff members say affects a wide range of people. “Discrimination is there; it’s strong and alive,” said Sandra Romero, executive director of the council. “It’s not going away.”

The council has also joined the fight against homelessness by helping the poor find affordable housing.

Instead of the segregated neighborhoods and racially motivated incidents of 20 years ago, Romero said, some landlords discriminate more subtly now by charging an application fee, a credit-check fee of more than $15 or by saying a vacant apartment has “just been rented.”

Discrimination is no longer based just on race, Romero said.

Age, marital status, physical disability and the number of children in a family have all become targets of discrimination, Romero said.

Between July, 1987, and June, 1988, the council received 345 complaints of housing discrimination, 131 of which were verified. One-third of the complaints were race-related.

“I don’t think there’s more discrimination (than before), but there is more public awareness,” said Brigitta Wamsher, council coordinator. “People know to contact some agency that can help them.”

The council was founded by a small group of volunteers from the Temple City Christian Church in 1968, the same year the U.S. Civil Rights Act was passed. Today, the nonprofit agency operates on a $200,000 budget with offices in Pasadena and El Monte. It contracts with 17 cities and several unincorporated areas in the San Gabriel Valley.

“There seems to be a need for this type of service in our city,” said Vangie Schock of the Alhambra Community Development Department. “(The council) provides a very good resource.”

The council also gives seminars on housing laws and property management.

“Our goal is to educate,” Wamsher said. “If we can educate someone in the laws, they aren’t so apt to discriminate.”

Wamsher said she often gets calls from managers asking, “Who are you to tell me who I can rent to?”

She said that after she explains the laws to them, most realize they are in the wrong.

Arlene Miller, director of the Foothill Apartment Assn. in Pasadena, said: “Most people just don’t know what the law stipulates.” Often, landlords are “just trying to please other people in the building,” she said.

After a complaint is received, the council sends volunteers to check for signs of discrimination. For example, if the discrimination is thought to be racially motivated, such as in White’s case, white and black volunteers act as prospective tenants and see whether they are offered or denied housing.

Once discrimination is verified, council staff members try to settle the dispute by persuading the landlord to rent to the prospective tenant or by negotiating a monetary settlement.

The council settles about 75% of its cases, Wamsher said. About one-third are monetary settlements for the tenant ranging from about $500 to $1,500.

If no agreement is reached, the case is referred to the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing and could result in legal proceedings.

Mediated 200 Cases

The department’s branch office in Los Angeles mediated 200 cases of discrimination in Los Angeles County last year, said administrator Carol Shiller. More than 50% of those cases were decided on behalf of the tenants, many of whom received awards averaging $2,000, she said.

Last year in the San Gabriel Valley, the council’s six staff workers received more than 6,000 telephone inquiries about discrimination, landlord-tenant disputes and affordable housing, double the number of calls received three years ago, director Romero said.

“What happens in the San Gabriel Valley happens all over,” she said. “I don’t think here is any different than anywhere else.”

Last year in the San Gabriel Valley, there were 25 cases of proven discrimination against single women with children. Some landlords fear children will damage property, Romero said.

Even council employees are not exempt from experiencing discrimination.

Sally Torres, a council secretary, thought she had found an affordable one-bedroom house to rent for $375 a month in Baldwin Park for herself and her 3-year-old son. But the landlord wanted to rent only to a married couple, Torres said. She filed a complaint and ended up receiving an out-of-court settlement of $300.

Sometimes, an owner or manager who has discriminated attends, either voluntarily or under order of the state, a seminar on fair housing practices given by the council. Landlords rarely continue to discriminate once a settlement has been reached, Romero said.

The council receives few complaints from home buyers, Wamsher said.

Finding affordable housing is one of the council’s toughest problems. At least 20 calls a day are in this category, Romero said. The council keeps a list of available housing taken from newspaper ads and referrals. But there are seldom easy solutions.

Timmie Cheely, 69, called the council after receiving an eviction notice at the one-bedroom duplex in Altadena, where she has lived for 35 years.

Distraught, Cheely told Romero she had to move because the owner was selling the building. She wanted to find an apartment for the same $350 a month she now pays for rent.

“I don’t know where to go or what to do,” Cheely said, explaining that her only income is $500 a month from state disability payments. “I’m just desperate.”

The council has not yet had any luck finding Cheely a place to live. “Living where you choose is still a hard thing to do,” Romero said.