Public Invited: Fair Housing Discussion coming to Cedar Rapids/Marion on November 8th

Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission Fair Housing Conference

Current Fair Housing Issues

Thursday, November 8, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Kirkwood Training & Outreach Services (KTOS)

3375 Armar Drive, Marion

Registration: $25 (includes continental breakfast and lunch)
*Register by 5pm October 31 to receive lunch.
Late registrations and same day registrants will be accepted - Lunch will not be included for late registrants

This Conference is designed to give housing professionals, attorneys, social service staff, and community members, a strong understanding of Fair Housing laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Credit. Come learn about your rights and your responsibilities!

REGISTER: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4550536778/eivtefrnd#

This event has been approved for 1.75 hours of Continuing Legal Education activity credit.
Please notify us at Registration if you are requesting CLE credit.
Members of the Cedar Rapids Area Association of Realtors should contact the CRAAR for more information.  Scholarships are availabe for CRAAR members.

PROGRAM
8:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:45 Welcome

• Karl Cassell, Executive Director, Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission
• Ron Corbett, Mayor, City of Cedar Rapids
• Snooks Bouska, Mayor, City of Marion

9:00 Keynote

• Betty Bottiger, Region VII Director, Housing and Urban Development

10:00 An Overview of Fair Housing Law.

• A discussion of recent court and administrative decisions. Areas of emphasis will include prohibited practices, protected classes and issues relating to persons with disabilities and families.
• Professor Allison Bethel, Clinical Professor, Director, Fair Housing Clinic, The John Marshall Law School

11:00 The Fair Housing Act, Persons with Disabilities, Animals and Pets.

1. This session will examine and compare federal, state and local laws that govern the rights of persons with disabilities to live with or be accompanied in public by animals who provide service, support, assistance or companionship. The workshop will focus on how to apply the federal Fair Housing Act, Iowa Civil Rights Act, Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Ordinance, Iowa's Rights of Persons with Disabilities law, and Dangerous Wild Animals law. Parrots and pooches and pigs, oh my!
2. Professor Len Sandler, Clinical Professor of Law, University of Iowa College of Law

12:00 Lunch

• Accessibility to and within Housing: Applicable Laws and Regulations for Dwellings and Common Areas.
• This session will cover The Americans with Disabilities Act and Amendments and The Fair Housing Act and Amendments, including purpose and overview, specific regulations to housing, common and public area regulations, and animals for companionship and service. We will also talk about the influence and confluence of related laws for persons with disabilities.
• Jim de Jong, Executive Director and Principal Investigator, Great Plains ADA Center

1:00 Credit Reports: The Good, the Bad, the Bottom Line.

• We will discuss information contained in a credit report, credit scoring, interpreting credit history – what’s important, what’s not, reading between the lines, and improving credit – creating opportunities.
• Scott Shook, Director of Consumer Credit Counseling Services, Horizons

LUNCH OPTIONS

• Turkey Sandwich on French Baguette
• Walnut Chicken Salad on Croissant
• Vegetarian Sandwich on Sourdough Bread

Lunch includes sandwich, fresh fruit, chips, and a cookie

If you have questions about this event, please contact the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission at 319-286-5036.  I, Robin Tucker, am one of the eleven local residents that currently serves on the City's Civil Rights Commission.  My father, I.L. "Tommy" Tucker had the pleasure of being one of the original commissioners, when Cedar Rapids began to promote equal opportunity and civil rights in our community.  He served the Commission as a volunteer Commissioner for 32 years.

January 10-11, 2011: New Chapter 69 Ordinance Focus Groups by trhe Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission

The City of Cedar Rapids, though the Civil Rights Commission is seeking to make changes to Chapter 69.

Here's information on the upcoming New Ordinance Focus Groups for Monday and Tuesday in Cedar Rapids ...

In order to foster a more inclusive community, the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission has proposed ordinance changes that will add gender identity, retaliation, and lawful source of income as protected classes, extend across-the-board coverage for all other protected classes, provide changes in the area of public accommodation that adhere to ADA standards, extend the time to file to 300 days for complaints in the areas of employment, education, credit, and public accommodation, and extend the time to file to a year for complaints in the area of housing. The changes will go before the City Council for approval, and if approved, will take effect April.

Public Forums will be held the week of January 10Th to discuss these changes with the public. The dates, times, and changes discussed are listed below.

JANUARY 10, 2011 - CEDAR RAPIDS PUBLIC LIBRARY,

SENDAK ROOM, WESTDALE MALL

6:00-7:00pm, Familial/Marital Status

The proposed changes will extend across-the-board protection in the areas of housing, employment, education, credit, and public accommodation.

7:15-8:15pm, Gender Identity

The proposed changes will add gender identity as a protected class in the areas of housing, employment, education, public accommodation, and credit. The changes define gender identity as actual or perceived gender-related identity, expression, appearance, behavior,
or other attributes regardless of the person’s assigned sex at birth.

JANUARY 11, 2011 - ST. PAUL’S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH,

SOCIAL HALL, 1340 3RD AVE. SE

5:30-6:30pm, Lawful Source of Income

The proposed changes will add lawful source of income as a protected class in the area of housing. The changes define lawful source of income as any lawful, verifiable source of money paid directly or indirectly to or on behalf of a renter or buyer of housing, including income derived from: 1) any lawful profession or occupation; 2) any government or private assistance, subsidy, voucher, grant, or loan program.

7:00-8:00pm, Design/Construction Requirements in Public Accommodation

The proposed ordinance changes will hold designers and/or builders responsible for meeting ADA requirements in multifamily dwellings and public accommodations from the date a certificate of occupancy is issued until compliance is achieved.

All sessions are free and open to the public.

We encourage the community to attend these sessions to learn more about this public policy proposal and changes to our community Chapter 69 ordinance.

ttrco

City of Cedar Rapids wants to expand Protected Classes in Chapter 69, including lawful sources of income

There was an article today in The Gazette on upcoming community open houses on proposed changes in Chapter 69 municipal code for the City of Cedar Rapids. Chapter 69 deals with Civil Rights in our community. I was happy to see that Rick Smith from The Gazette reported on the upcoming public discussion on Chapter 69.

Robin Tucker, a local Realtor and businessman, this week said the
proposed ordinance change related to housing vouchers does rub some landlords
the wrong way.

“What if I don’t want any more to do with government than
required, which is how some people look at it,” Tucker said. “Should landlords
be required to do business with government?”

Ordinance change would protect Section 8 housing applicants - The Gazette

Karl Cassell is executive director of the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission, which is proposing a change to the city's civil rights ordinance that would prohibit housing discrimination based on the source of their income ...

New Ordinance Focus Groups will be hosted by the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission on Monday, January 10Th and Tuesday, January 11Th. Different subjects will be presented each session.

• The city commission forum on Monday will be held from 6 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. at the Cedar Rapids Public Library’s location in Westdale Mall. Proposed ordinance changes related to marital status will be discussed first followed by those related to gender identity.


• The Tuesday forum will be held at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1340 Third Ave. SE, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Proposed ordinance changes related to lawful sources of income will be discussed first followed by changes related to construction and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Want to read the latest newsletter from the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission?

Tommy Tucker Realty Co. represents a variety of property owners, who are seeking to rent single family houses in our area. Our agency does not have an application fee and we will consider all legal sources of income. We encourage anyone seeking a rental to apply.

Our company founder, Realtor® Emeritus and President, I.L. 'Tommy' Tucker is a former member of the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission. Tommy served on the initial civil rights committee that become the Cedar Rapids Civil Right Commission back in the 1960s under Mayor Robert M.L. Johnson. Tommy served as Commissioner in a variety of roles for 31 years.

ttrco