Make Your Voice Heard, Part II

Have you ever been approved for emergency rental assistance and then the landlord refused to accept this money?

If so, the Austin Tenants’ Council wants to hear from you! ATC is looking for tenants willing to tell their story about this important issue before the Texas Legislature. Call ATC at 474-0197 to make sure your voice is heard!

Make Your Voice Heard, Part I

The City of Austin Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Office invites citizens to participate in the COA FY2009-14 Consolidated Plan public process. The consolidated plan will be used as a blueprint for identifying community priorities for funding to address priority housing, community development, economic development, and public service needs.

Citizens may submit public feedback through a survey regarding the needs of the City of Austin community. Submit public feedback through the Consolidated Plan Survey in English and Spanish (Encuesta en Espanol).

HUD Offers Free Accessibility Training

HUD’s Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST training program promotes compliance with the Fair Housing Act design and construction requirements. The program offers comprehensive and detailed instruction including an overview of the requirements; strategies for compliant kitchens; and common violations and solutions.

Date: April 23, 2009
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where: Learning and Research Center; 2800 Spirit of Texas Drive; Austin, TX 78719

To register, visit www.fairhousingfirst.org and click on the “CALENDAR” link.

Renters in Fannie Mae-Owned Foreclosed Properties Eligible to Stay in Their Homes

Fannie Mae announced the establishment of a new National Real Estate Owned Rental Policy that will allow qualified renters in Fannie Mae-owned foreclosed properties to stay in their homes.

Under this policy, Fannie Mae offers renters who are occupying one- to four-unit foreclosed properties at the time Fannie Mae acquires the property the opportunity to remain on a month-to-month lease. This policy addresses the problem recently experienced by some renters of having been displaced through foreclosures, even when they have been making their monthly rent payments consistently to the foreclosed borrower.

Fannie Mae previously announced an eviction suspension which remains in place until the end of January. The new policy will be in place prior to the end of that suspension.

If a renter is living in a foreclosed property, property managers, on behalf of Fannie Mae, will notify them of their options. One of those options is that the renter will be offered a month-to-month lease with Fannie Mae at market-rate rent, provided that the property is “habitable” and meets state laws and local codes for rental properties. The other option available is where the renter chooses not to remain in the property and enter into a lease, and Fannie Mae will offer monetary support to aid in the transition to new housing.

Read more about this policy including a list of frequently asked questions and answers.

$275,000 Settlement Reached in Sexual Harassment Discrimination Case

Two female tenants, along with the Austin Tenants’ Council and Texas Workforce Commission/Civil Rights Division, have agreed to settle a fair housing discrimination lawsuit filed against landlord Henry Carter of Bryan, Texas.

The lawsuit alleges that Carter, who managed more than 30 rental properties in Brazos County, violated the state and federal Fair Housing Act by engaging in a pattern or practice of sexual harassment of his female tenants, many of whom were recipients of Section 8 rental vouchers. The Housing Choice Voucher Program/Section 8 is the U.S. government’s major program to provide housing assistance to low-income families and individuals.

According to the lawsuit, Carter subjected his female tenants to unwanted verbal sexual advances and unwanted sexual touching; granted and denied tangible housing benefits in exchange for sexual favors; took adverse action against female tenants when they refused or objected to his sexual advances; and denied the rental of a dwelling based on the sex of the potential tenant. The lawsuit also alleges that Carter’s attempt to hide his assets by transferring his real estate holdings to Urban Quest Properties, a company composed of Carter’s three sons, is a violation of the Texas Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act.