Hillsdale Housing Commission
45 N. West Street � Hillsdale, MI  49242
Phone: (517) 439-1210 � Fax: (517) 439-9577 � E-mail: mail@hillsdalehousing.org

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Equal Housing Opportunity Policy

1.0 Nondiscrimination

It is the policy of the Hillsdale Housing Commission to fully comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VIII and Section 3 of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (as amended), Executive Order 11063, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and any legislation protecting the individual rights of residents, applicants or staff which may be subsequently enacted.

The Housing Commission shall not discriminate because of race, color, sex, religion, familial status (in non-elderly designated housing), disability, handicap or national origin in the leasing, rental, or other disposition of housing or related facilities, including land, included in any development or developments under its jurisdiction.

The Housing Commission shall not take any of the following actions on account of race, color, sex, religion, familial status, disability, handicap, or national origin:

A. Deny to any family the opportunity to apply for housing, nor deny to any eligible applicant the opportunity to lease housing suitable to its needs.

B. Provide housing which is different than that provided others.

C. Subject a person to segregation or disparate treatment.

D. Restrict a person's access to any benefit enjoyed by others in connection with any program operated by the Housing Commission.

E. Treat a person differently in determining eligibility or other requirements for admission.

F. Deny a person access to the same level of services.

G. Deny a person the opportunity to participate in a planning or advisory group which is an integral part of the public housing or tenant-based housing programs.

The Housing Commission shall not automatically deny admission to a particular group or category of otherwise eligible applicants (e.g., families with children born to unmarried parents or elderly pet owners). Each applicant in a particular group or category will be treated on an individual basis in the normal processing routine.

The Housing Commission will seek to identify and eliminate situations or procedures that create a barrier to equal housing opportunity for all. In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Housing Commission will make such physical or procedural changes as will reasonably accommodate people with disabilities.

Housing Commission records with respect to applications for admission shall indicate for each application the date of receipt; the determination of eligibility or non-eligibility; the preference rating, if any; and the date, location, identification, and circumstances of each vacancy offered and whether that vacancy was accepted or rejected.

As conditions may require, the Housing Commission will post notices of housing availability in particular neighborhoods or developments to encourage fuller participation. The Housing Commission may issue public announcements of availability to encourage applications for assistance. Among the marketing efforts the Housing Commission may engage in depending on the situation are the following:

A. Send informational spots local media outlets such as radio stations, cable TV, newspapers, or other periodicals for broadcast or publication.

B. Special outreaches to minorities, persons with disabilities and very low-income families;

C. Distribute pamphlets and brochures.

D. Post notices in places of employment, unemployment offices, welfare offices, post offices, grocery stores, churches, community halls, buses and other public transportation centers.

E. Outreach to organizations which assist people with disabilities, the elderly, students, immigrants, homeless people and victims of domestic violence.

The Housing Commission will monitor the benefits received, as a result of the above activities, and will increase or decrease the outreach activities accordingly.

To reach minority groups, it may be necessary to canvas neighborhoods or make mass mailings to areas with a heavy concentration of minority citizens. If language is a problem, brochures may be printed in Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic or other languages as required.

In order to further the objectives of nondiscrimination the Housing Commission shall:

A. Include in the admissions briefings for all Housing Commission programs a section on compliance with Civil Rights laws. The briefing shall carefully explain to all participants what should be done if they believe they have been discriminated against.

B. Prominently display a Fair Housing Poster in every development office owned by the Housing Commission and in the Housing Commission's main office.

C. Use the Equal Housing Opportunity logo and/or statement in all advertising and in all marketing publications of the Housing Commission. The Housing Commission shall be particularly conscious of human models used in its publications so as to avoid signaling any sense of discrimination.

D. The Housing Commission shall maintain a TDD Machine or an acceptable alternative for the use of the hearing impaired.

Adopted by the Housing Commission 05/06/2000