Governor Steven Beshear will lead the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights and its Fair Housing partners like the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Kentucky Housing Corporation on Friday, April 18, at 2 p.m., in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort, Ky., in recognizing the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Fair Housing Act and the Kentucky Fair Housing Act.
Governor Beshear will sign the April is Fair Housing Month in Kentucky proclamation. The public is invited to this free event!
“The commission is honored to have the leadership of Governor Beshear in the fight against unfair housing,” said John J. Johnson, executive director of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights.
The state’s human rights commission enforces the Kentucky Fair Housing Act and policies of the U.S. Fair Housing Act. Both laws guarantee people in Kentucky the right to live in the homes and neighborhoods of their choices free from discrimination.
“Unfortunately, the area of Housing is still plagued with discriminatory issues,” Johnson said: “The current financial crisis in America is arguably in large part due to discriminatory lending practices against the poor and minorities. Our state is also rife with segregated communities, a socially detrimental phenomenon since our population is growing with diversity and with the resulting need to accept and embrace diversity – not only at school or at work, but in our neighborhoods,” he said.
The commission conducts workshops, trainings and seminars throughout the year to promote compliance with laws against discrimination in housing. During the month of April, the agency will place special focus on Fair Housing by presenting a series of presentations to realtors, landlords, and people who are often victims of housing discrimination such as minorities, women with children, and foreign-born Kentuckians.
One such event was the Fair Housing Advocacy Hearing held this week in Whitesburg, Ky. The commission produced a panel discussion led by experts on Fair Housing who discussed ongoing challenges and possible solutions. Panelists were Arthur Crosby, executive director of the Lexington Fair Housing Council, Cathy Hinko, executive director of the Metropolitan Housing Coalition, a regional advocacy organization for fair and affordable housing in Louisville, and Rick Baker of the Leslie, Knott, Letcher and Perry counties Community Action Inc., a $34 million community service agency that works for fair housing. The public event was held at the Appalshop Inc. headquarters located at 91 Madison Ave. in Whitesburg.
The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights is the state government agency that enforces The Kentucky Civil Rights Act and the policies of federal civil rights laws.
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