April 2019: Fair Housing Month

To learn more about your fair housing rights and responsibilities, attend any of the following events in your area and around Missouri throughout the month.

Western Missouri

• The Empower Missouri Kansas City Chapter has a dynamic board consisting of community people who are passionate about the welfare of their fellow citizens. They involve themselves in many forms of action toward social justice, including advocacy work, rallies, walk-backs, petitions, and much more. Beginning at 11:30 a.m. on April 5 at the Kansas City Public Library Central Branch, the Empower Missouri Kansas City Chapter hosts a forum called the First Friday Forum. Each month tackles issues facing our most vulnerable citizens. Topics include urban policing, hunger, education, fair wage, and fair housing. Please contact sarahot@empowermissouri.org to get involved

• The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) is hosting a Community Wealth Building Day on April 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This special event, located at the Concord Fortress of Hope Church, will explore topics such as equal rights, fair housing, equal opportunity, and community development. NAREB is an organization that continues to open doors that otherwise would remain closed to African American professionals. NAREB continuously strives to preserve and enhance its industry and community image with local and national government, as well as business and consumer interest organizations. For more information about this organization or this special event, please visit online or contact Victor Frederick at 913-631-2244 or fredvbroker@gmail.com

• Know your rights when purchasing or renting your next home, apartment, condominium, or townhouse. Learn to recognize the signs of predatory lending, discriminatory acts, and what you should do if you feel your rights have been violated. Money Smart Kansas City is hosting a free lecture, Fair Housing: Know Your Rights. This special event takes place on April 4 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 3125 Gilham Plaza. For more information, please visit online or contact Ron Farmer at 816-533-7418. 

• Your home purchase is one of the largest investments you will make, which is why it is so important to know you are making the right choices. Credit & Homeowner Empowerment Services, Inc. (CHES, Inc.) is hosting a course approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for homebuyers. The eight-hour HUD Approved Homebuyer Education Course will provide you with the knowledge and tools needed for long-term homeownership success. This special event takes place on April 13 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the CHES, Inc. Corporate Office, located at 3125 Gilham Plaza. Please visit online to register, or contact 816-533-7417 should you have any questions.

Central Missouri

• The City of Columbia hosts its annual Fair Housing & Lending Seminar on April 5 from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. The Seminar will be located at the Columbia City Hall. The event is sponsored by, the City of Columbia’s Human Rights and Disabilities Commissions, Central Bank of Boone County, the Columbia Apartment Association, the Columbia Board of Realtors, the Columbia Housing Authority, and the Missouri Commission on Human Rights. Visit online for additional information regarding registration and the event schedule.

• Needing a new place to live or just curious to see what option Columbia may have for you and your family? The City of Columbia, in part with the Plaza Event Center, is hosting the Central Missouri Rental Housing Fair. On April 5 from 2 to 7 p.m., the Fair will include vendors from all of Central Missouri for information on local rental properties, student housing, assisted living, single-family homes, and much more. For more information, or to register for this special event, please visit online.

Eastern Missouri

• On April 17, the Heartland Affordable Housing Management Association (HAHMA) hosts its Fair Housing Seminar for the St. Louis area. HAHMA is a professional organization composed of property owners, managers, and related professionals who specialize in the development and operation of affordable housing throughout Kansas and Missouri. This special event takes place in Kirkwood from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 225 West Rose Hill Ave. Please visit online to register or contact the organizer.

• Join the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council (EHOC) and the Center for Social Development (CSD) for the 2019 Annual Fair Housing Conference Facing Segregation: Building Strategies in Every Neighborhood. On April 12 from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., this special event features speakers Molly Metzger, Assistant Professor and Director for Inclusive Housing at Washington University, and Henry Webber, Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration at Washington University, as well as other national and local experts. The cost of this event is $28.00. For more information, please visit online or contact Elisabeth Risch at 314-534-5800, ext. 7012 or erish@ehoc-stl.org. 

• On April 5, the St. Louis Realtors Association is hosting its First-Time Homebuyer Workshop. This comprehensive workshop will expand your knowledge of options that will help assist you in a variety of ways and will offer three subject-matter experts in one room discussing first-time home buying options. To learn more, please visit online.

• The Community Council of St. Louis hosts its first annual Project Homeless Connect on April 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Matthias Lot Church, 2645 West Clay St.  Project Homeless Connect is a multi-organizational effort planned by Vision Leadership St. Charles County, We Love St. Charles, and the Continuum of Care to provide services, information, and support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Please visit online for more information about this special event, or contact projecthomelessstcharles@gmail.com.

Learn More with These Helpful Resources:

• The Missouri Affordable Housing Locator is a service to help individuals find quality affordable rental housing in the state of Missouri, listing properties that are visited periodically by the Missouri Housing Development Commission for quality purposes.

• Beyond Housing, an organization seeking to provide support and services for low-income families, has a Housing Services Center to assist current and prospective homeowners throughout the St. Louis region in their efforts to acquire and maintain their homes. The Center holds online training sessions on Home Buyer Education in English and Spanish. In addition, those individuals facing foreclosure can work with a foreclosure prevention counselor after completing an intake questionnaire.

• HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research Case Studies Series highlights sustainable housing and community development projects and innovations from across the country. The revitalization of Old North St. Louis, Missouri: Crown Square Historic Rehabilitation was featured as part of the series.

• The Governor’s Committee to End Homelessness was formed to prevent and end homelessness by establishing strategies to promote public and private coordination and collaboration, developing new strategies to evaluate and reallocate resources, removing barriers to accessing services, evaluating unmet needs and providing supportive services, implementing effective solutions to build economic security, and promoting and supporting activities that prevent homelessness.

• The Missouri Housing Development Commission provides financing to developers of affordable housing, home mortgages to qualified first-time buyers, and advisory, consultative, training, and educational services to non-profit housing organizations.

• The Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council funds the Missouri Inclusive Housing Development Corporation, providing information about safe, accessible, quality, affordable housing in Missouri for those with developmental disabilities.

• The Missouri Department of Mental Health Housing Unit provides information on fair housing for individuals with mental health issues.

• The Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council works to gather and disseminate information, conduct training on independent living issues, provide outreach to un-served and underserved populations, and work to expand and improve independent living services in the state. It also provides information specific to housing across Missouri.

• HUD has state-specific resources available on topics such as rental help, owning a home, and homelessness, and provides contact information for its local and regional offices.

• If you are a homeowner age 62 or older and have paid off your mortgage or paid it down a considerable amount and are currently living in your home, or if you wish to purchase a primary residence, you may be eligible to participate in the Federal Housing Administration's Home Equity Conversion Mortgage program, the only reverse mortgage insured by the federal government.

• Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST provides information on Common Violations of the Fair Housing Act Design and Construction Requirements. The organization is supported by HUD and is an initiative designed to promote compliance with the Fair Housing Act’s design and construction requirements.

• For advice on buying a home, renting, default, foreclosure avoidance, credit issues, or reverse mortgages, search online for a housing counseling agency near you, or call HUD's interactive voice system at 800-569-4287.

• Making Home Affordable (MHA) is an important part of the federal government’s comprehensive plan to stabilize the housing market by helping homeowners to avoid foreclosure. MHA programs offer a range of solutions, including mortgage relief for the unemployed, reducing monthly mortgage payments, and refinancing to take advantage of lower interest rates.

• HUD-approved housing counseling agencies are available to provide you with the information and assistance you need to avoid foreclosure. Foreclosure prevention counseling services are provided free of charge by nonprofit housing counseling agencies working in partnership with the federal government. For a list of agencies in Missouri, visit Foreclosure Avoidance Counseling.