Celebrate Fair Housing

 "Home is where the heart is."  "There's no place like home."  Home is the place where we seek comfort and shelter. Our behavior, emotions and overall mental state can all be influenced by our home. Home can mean housing or place of residence. What does home mean to you? April is the anniversary month of the US Fair Housing Act of 1968. For some of us, the thought of being discriminated against when looking for a home doesn't enter our minds. However, during the history of our country many people have been restricted from buying or renting properties simply because they are different.

 The Fair Housing Law passed in 1968 prohibits discrimination in the sale, lease or rental of housing or making housing unavailable because race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.  The Iowa Civil Rights Act also includes gender identity and mental disability. The City of Iowa City prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, age, sex, marital status, disability, religion, sexual orientation, the presence or absence of dependents or a public assistance source of income (such as AFDC or low income rental assistance).

Despite the number of years since the passing of the Fair Housing law and the advance in the education and understanding of diversity, discrimination in housing still exists. Iowa City has undertaken numerous actions, by the Planning & Community Development Department, the Iowa City Housing Authority and the Human Rights Office to identify, address and resolve fair housing issues.

Whatever your race, your color, your religion, you be the neighbor, the co-worker, the citizen who cares about your fellow community member regardless of their unique differences. Stop focusing on the differences and look at people for what they are inside. Value diversity, broaden your social network, get to know your neighbors, be tolerant and respect those who are different and try to understand these differences. Focus on the benefits of multicultural neighborhoods. Realize how they can provide opportunities for learning about and interacting with all kinds of people. Our children by living in a diverse community will be better people.  They will be prepared for the future and the cultural mix in the real world.   Iowa City should be one of the places where people do not have to experience housing discrimination.

REALTORS® across Iowa and across the nation work each day to support the Fair Housing Act.  Fair Housing is not just a good practice, it is the law!

Dee Miller

Ruhl & Ruhl REALTORS

REALTOR