Fair Housing and You, 2009

Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act was passed in 1988, making it illegal to refuse to rent or sell property to families because they have children. In 1992, the Iowa Civil Rights Act was amended to also prohibit discrimination against families with children.

Iowa Commission on the Status of African Americans Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2006

A Public Intellectual recently suggested that I read the book Life Out Of Context by the very productive writer Walter Mosley. In this book, Mosley began to summarize a speech that was given by Harry Belafonte. Belafonte made a comparison between a particular Olympic relay race and the Civil Rights Movement. In the race, an experienced runner stumbled a little while passing the baton, and the race was lost. For Belafonte, this momentary slip was a metaphor for the failure of the Civil Rights Movement to “pass the baton” to the younger generation as “it moved past its original phase and into the latter part of the century.” Regardless of your views of the strengths and weaknesses of the Civil Rights Movement, I think all of us would agree that the current issues facing Black Iowa today--e.g., the need for economic development, increased educational achievement and more political involvement in our communities--demand our immediate attention and action. This urgency requires that we cross generational, class, and territorial boundaries within the state to collaborate among ourselves and with others to deal constructively with these issues. We cannot afford to have another “momentary slip.” Serving as the Administrator for ICSAA allows me to serve Black Iowa in a significant way, and Kimberly Cheeks and I in this Division look forward to the work ahead over the next several months and years. Working closely with Walter Reed, Director of the Department of Human Rights, along with so many others across this state, we are keenly aware that we are provided with a great opportunity to positively impact the quality of life for African-Americans in Iowa.

ICRC Fact Sheet, July 2008

Questions and Answers on Filing A Civil Rights Complaint

Fair Housing Guide, 2011

Booklet produced by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission

A donde vamos ahora? : (where are we going now) : a report on the problems of the Spanish surnamed and migrant population in Iowa,1970.

This is an overview of the United States Commission on Civil Rights and the duties of the Iowa State Advisory Committee. It contains a report concerning problems of the Spanish surnamed and migrant population in Iowa.

Ex-Offenders in Employment, 2005

Currently, Iowa law lacks statutory language that would include Iowans with a criminal history as a protected class (this lack of coverage mirrors most of the nation). However, Iowa has been shown to parallel EEOC guidance that states that an employer may exclude an individual from employment on the basis of a conviction record only if the employer’s decision was “justified by business necessity.”

ICRC Factsheet, July 2008

Questions and Answers on Filing A Civil Rights Complaint

ICRC Factsheet, December 2010

For a person with a disability that limits or restricts their mobility, lack of sufficient parking can be a significant barrier to the full use and enjoyment of his or her dwelling. Lack of sufficient parking for persons with disabilities at a housing complex can also be a violation of State parking law, as well as State and Federal Fair Housing Laws. A resident with a disability who has a DOT parking permit who cannot find an available ‘persons with disabilities parking space’ or other suitable parking is effectively denied housing based on disability.

ICRC Factsheet, June 2010

Three Classes of Animals: 1. Pets are animals living with owners for purposes of love, affection, and company. 2. Emotional Support Animals provide some therapeutic benefit to person with mental or psychiatric disability, requiring no specific training. The mere presence of this animal mitigate the effects of the emotional or mental disability. 3. Service Animals are any animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a physical, intellectual, and mental disability—IE guiding individuals with impaired vision, providing protection or rescue work, pulling a wheel chair, or fetching dropped items.

Công bằng Nha cửa và Bạn,

(In Vietnamese)Familial status, or presence of children in the home, protects families with children under 18 years of age. Also protected are families seeking custody of a child or expecting the birth of a child. There is only a narrow exception to this part of the law: units designated as “housing for older persons.” Property owners are required by the law to allow reasonable modifications to a property (at the tenant’s expense) and to make reasonable accommodations in policies in order to accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities.

Fair Housing and You

Familial status, or presence of children in the home, protects families with children under 18 years of age. Also protected are families seeking custody of a child or expecting the birth of a child. There is only a narrow exception to this part of the law: units designated as “housing for older persons.” Property owners are required by the law to allow reasonable modifications to a property (at the tenant’s expense) and to make reasonable accommodations in policies in order to accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities.

Vivienda Justa y Usted, 2010

Estado familiar, o la presencia de niños en el hogar protege a las familias con personas menores de 18 años de edad. Solamente hay una pequeña excepción a esta parte de la ley: las unidades designadas como "vivienda para personas mayores de edad". La ley requiere que los propietarios permitan modificaciones razonables a la propiedad (por cuenta del inquilino) y hacer acomodaciones razonables en sus políticas para acomodar las necesidades de personas discapacitadas.

Fair Housing For Families with Children

What’s wrong with this advertisement? This wording used to be very familiar in our daily newspaper ads. But the federal Fair Housing Amendments Act was passed in 1988, making it illegal to refuse to rent or sell property to families because they have children. In 1992, the Iowa Civil Rights Act was amended to also prohibit discrimination against families with children. The law defines a family with children as follows: One or more individuals under the age of 18 living with a parent, or with a person having legal custody  A designee of such parent or legal guardian  Persons who are expecting a baby or who are seeking legal custody of a child.

Design and Construction in Fair Housing: Enforcement, Timeless and Practical Suggestion, Spring 2010

In addition to the Fair Housing Act of 1968, other legislation has expanded protection from discrimination for individuals with disabilities, including the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Notably, the Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA), signed into law by Ronald Reagan in 1988, expanded equal housing protection to individuals with disabilities. The legislative history behind the 1988 Amendments notes that one aim of the law was to address both purposeful discrimination as well as what is sometimes unintentional discrimination caused by the design and construction of inaccessible housing.

Fair Housing Frequently Asked Questions

Fair housing question and answer sheet produced by the Department of Civil Rights.