Equal Housing for All

Fair Housing

ELKHART HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION.

The City of Elkhart Human Relations Commission was established on February 15, 1965 and is 5 member board appointed by the Mayor. The Commission’s main goal is to eliminate prohibited practices of discrimination in housing transactions including unimproved real estate on the basis of race, religion, gender, color, disability, familial status, and national origin.

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201 S. Second St, Elkhart, IN 46516

(574) 294-5471 Ext. 1014

Relay Indiana 711 or (800) 743-3333

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human.relations@coei.org

WELCOME TO ELKHART – Billboard Video

👀 WATCH: “Seven Days” Documentary | This film, produced by the National Fair Housing Alliance and Nationwide, chronicles the seven days between the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the passage of the Fair Housing Act.

IMPEDIMENTS TO FAIR HOUSING SURVEY

ENGLISH OR SPANISH

Fair Housing Poster Contest

Fair Housing Month Proclamation

Elkhart Fair Housing – Poster Contest Video

Elkhart Fair Housing Complaint Form

About the Commission

The City of Elkhart Human Relations Commission was established on February 15, 1965 and is a 5 member board appointed by the Mayor. The EHRC is the local Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) agency that is substantially equivalent to HUD in filing complaints of housing discrimination.

The Commission’s main goal is to eliminate prohibited practices of discrimination in housing transactions including unimproved real estate on the basis of race, religion, gender, color, disability, familial status, and national origin.

Board members:

Mary Jo Weyrick, Chair
Dana Irving, Vice Chair
Crystal Welsh
Melinda Riley
Patty Gorostieta

Meeting Schedule: Calendar

Rules and Regulations: Document

NEWSLETTERS:

The Act in Action – January 2025

2025 Fair Housing Month Proclamation – April is Fair Housing Month

City Resources to Stop Housing Discrimination

Federal Resources to Stop Housing Discrimination

The Fair Housing Act

The Fair Housing Act protects people from discrimination when they are renting or buying a home, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other housing-related activities.

Who Is Protected?

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing because of:

Race
Color
National Origin
Religion
Sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation)
Familial Status
Disability

What Types of Housing Are Covered?

The Fair Housing Act covers most housing. In very limited circumstances, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings with no more than four units, single-family houses sold or rented by the owner without the use of an agent, and housing operated by religious organizations and private clubs that limit occupancy to members.

What Is Prohibited?

In the Sale and Rental of Housing:

It is illegal discrimination to take any of the following actions because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, familial status, or national origin:

Refuse to rent or sell housing
Refuse to negotiate for housing
Otherwise make housing unavailable
Set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental of a dwelling
Provide a person different housing services or facilities
Falsely deny that housing is available for inspection, sale or rental
Make, print or publish any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination
Impose different sales prices or rental charges for the sale or rental of a dwelling
Use different qualification criteria or applications, or sale or rental standards or procedures, such as income standards, application requirements, application fees, credit analyses, sale or rental approval procedures or other requirements
Evict a tenant or a tenant’s guest
Harass a person
Fail or delay performance of maintenance or repairs
Limit privileges, services or facilities of a dwelling
Discourage the purchase or rental of a dwelling
Assign a person to a particular building or neighborhood or section of a building or neighborhood
For profit, persuade, or try to persuade, homeowners to sell their homes by suggesting that people of a particular protected characteristic are about to move into the neighborhood (blockbusting)
Refuse to provide or discriminate in the terms or conditions of homeowners insurance because of the race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, familial status, or national origin of the owner and/or occupants of a dwelling
Deny access to or membership in any multiple listing service or real estate brokers’ organization

In Mortgage Lending:

It is illegal discrimination to take any of the following actions based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, familial status, or national origin:

Refuse to make a mortgage loan or provide other financial assistance for a dwelling
Refuse to provide information regarding loans
Impose different terms or conditions on a loan, such as different interest rates, points, or fees
Discriminate in appraising a dwelling
Condition the availability of a loan on a person’s response to harassment
Refuse to purchase a loan

Harassment:

The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to harass persons because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, familial status, or national origin. Among other things, this forbids sexual harassment.

Other Prohibitions:

In addition, it is illegal discrimination to:

Threaten, coerce, intimidate or interfere with anyone exercising a fair housing right or assisting others who exercise the right
Retaliate against a person who has filed a fair housing complaint or assisted in a fair housing investigation

Advertising:

In nearly all housing, including private housing, public housing, and housing that receives federal funding, the Fair Housing Act prohibits the making, printing and publishing of advertisements that indicate a preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, familial status, or national origin. The prohibition applies to publishers, such as newspapers and directories, as well as to persons and entities who place real estate advertisements in newspapers and on websites. It also applies where the advertisement itself violates the Act, even if the property being advertised may be exempt from the provisions of the Act. Other federal civil rights laws may also prohibit discriminatory advertising practices.

Examples of advertising that may violate the Act include phrases such as “no children,” which indicates discrimination on the basis of familial status, or “no wheelchairs,” which indicates disability discrimination.

Additional Protections For Persons With Disabilities:

Housing providers must make reasonable accommodations and allow reasonable modifications that may be necessary to allow persons with disabilities to enjoy their housing.