File - Fair Housing of Marin

FAIR HOUSING OF MARIN
Opening Doors to Equality and Diversity
NEWSLETTER
Fair Housing of Marin started on a shoestring in
1982 as a project of the Marin Housing Program,
now known as Homeward Bound. Annual budget:
$25,000. In 1984, Nancy Kenyon was hired as its
Director. In 1985, Nancy created the Community
Housing Resource Board (CHRB), adding community members dedicated to
equal housing opportunity.
When the program grew
with increased funding, we
became an independent
nonprofit, taking the name,
Fair
Housing
of
Marin
(FHOM). We moved our offices to our current
location at 615 B Street, San Rafael, California.
Believing that housing discrimination has to be
fought from multiple directions, we created four
programs - individual counseling and investigation;
training seminars for property owners; education
programs to promote fair housing and human
rights; and affordable housing advocacy. Foreclosure counseling was added in 2009. FHOM
regularly conducts audits to test for discrimination
on the basis of race, national origin, disability,
mortgage loans and familial status.
In 1994, a random audit to uncover race
discrimination in Marin County found a 42%
probability that an African-American home seeker
would encounter discrimination. County Supervisors Harry Moore and Annette Rose met with
Nancy and formed the Marin Task Force on
Housing Discrimination to address this inequality.
The Task Force, a Forum to address Fair Housing
issues as they arise, operates under the guidance
of Fair Housing of Marin.
SPRING 2012
Fair
Housing of Marin has received national
honors twice from the U.S. Department of Housing: for the first national audit on racial discrimination in Residential Care Facilities for the elderly, and
as recipient of HUD's National Housing Pioneer
Award. Nancy Kenyon is a founder of the National
Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA)
and served on their Board of
Directors for 18 years. Fair
Housing‟s Director of Housing
Programs, Caroline Peattie,
currently serves on the NFHA
Board.
Examples of discrimination cases for which
FHOM achieved positive outcomes:

FHOM received numerous discrimination complaints – for race, national origin, familial status,
and disability – against a San Rafael owner. FHOM
tested and won on a default judgment. The decision
was appealed and affirmed. This case received
national attention for its legal importance.
 A Larkspur apartment condominium refused to
approve a disabled woman„s request to build a ramp
to her unit to accommodate her wheelchair.
 A Craigslist ad for a studio apartment advertised
the complex as a "kid free zone”. Testing verified
the policy; a complaint was filed; subsequent ads
were changed.

The manager of a major Marin trailer park
refused to allow a White owner to sell his trailer to a
Mexican family.
 An African-American businessman, his interracial
wife and two children were turned down when they
looked at a house for rent “because interracial
couples never stay together.”
Our mission is to ensure equal housing opportunity and to educate the
community on the value of diversity in our neighborhoods through
counseling, investigation, education programs and preventive trainings.
Se habla español - Noí tiếng Việt Nam, xin goi 415.491.9677
OUR SPONSORS
OUR BOARD EXPANDS
Fair Housing of Marin welcomes three new members to our
Board of Directors.



Cory Carroll of San Anselmo is a Regional Manager with
First California Mortgage.
Sandy Lurins of Novato is a Senior Customer Experience
Manager at Autodesk.
Cristino Rivera of Larkspur is Branch Manager at Bank of
the West in Larkspur.
Cory, Sandy, and Cristino are all wonderful additions to our
Board of Directors. We are grateful to have them share their
time, energy, knowledge and experience with us.
DeMartini & Walker
Vincent J DeMartini, Attorney at Law
San Rafael, CA - 415.472.7880
Michael J. Burke
www.MarinApartments.com - 415.925.3214
"Marin's Apartment Specialist since 1973"
PRANDI Property Management
San Rafael, CA - 415.482.9988
Westminister Presbyterian Church
Tiburon, CA - 415.383.5272
Wilson, Markle, Stuckey, Hardesty & Bott
Certified Public Accountants
Larkspur, CA - 415.925.1120
POSTER CONTEST HONORS FAIR HOUSING MONTH
“Marin Welcomes All Neighbors”
Each April as part of National Fair Housing Month, we invite students in
grades K-8 to submit entries to our annual Fair Housing Poster Contest.
The theme this year is “Marin Welcomes All Neighbors”. The winners will
be recognized in an Award Ceremony on April 2 at the Marin Civic Center
Board of Supervisors‟ Chambers.
We would like to thank our Sponsors for their support in this much loved
event: Frank Howard Allen Realtors, Doodlebug, Marin Sanitary Services,
PRANDI Property Management and Robert Placak & Associates.
For more information, contact: Adriana Ames, Education Director at
415.457.5025 x 108 or aames@fairhousingmarin.com.
FAIR HOUSING OF MARIN
615 B Street - San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 457-5025 - TDD: (800) 735-2922
www.fairhousingmarin.com
Return Service Requested
Chloe & Julia - San Domenico School
“The Many Faces of Marin” - Winners 2011
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
San Rafael, CA 94901
PERMIT NO 419