Fair Housing Enforcement Report: Executive Summary
The League of Women Voters of Evanston’s (LWVE) Local Position on Fair Housing includes the following: The League “supports strong and effective enforcement of Federal, State, County and City Fair Housing Laws, and the City’s Tenant/Landlord Ordinance.” As one area of focus for its 2023-2024 Local Program, a LWVE working group was charged with reviewing and evaluating Evanston’s fair housing enforcement practices and outcomes. The purpose of this project was to gain an understanding of discrimination in housing against renters and homebuyers based on protections under the law; the level of understanding of those protections; the complaint and resolution process; and the effectiveness of enforcement. This project included stakeholder interviews, a speaker event, the collection of data and materials, and a literature review.
Conclusions
We have concluded from this work that housing discrimination continues to occur in Evanston and much of it is not reported nor are formal complaints filed. It is clear that most people need a much better understanding of their rights, more information about recognizing discrimination and observing and documenting their housing search experiences, and more information on where to find assistance. In addition, some landlords have insufficient knowledge of relevant statutes. We concluded that both education and enforcement are weak and that the City of Evanston should play a much greater role and provide leadership in this important area.
The League’s Recommendations
The City of Evanston should take the following steps to strengthen enforcement:
• establish fair housing enforcement as a high priority and identify measurable goals, action steps and evaluation tools
• collaborate with other government agencies and fair housing advocacy organizations to review and evaluate current activity, data, and educational offerings, identify best practices, and adjust their approaches accordingly
• provide financial resources for education, testing, and assisting complainants, either in-house or by contracting these services, and for monitoring activities and outcomes
• consider providing, directly or through a contractor, housing search assistance for renters and homebuyer counseling for first time homebuyers
• take a proactive approach, including increased investigation and testing to identify and pursue fair housing violations and initiate legal action when appropriate if there is evidence of discrimination by housing providers, whether a complaint has been filed by a consumer or not
• improve information and education about fair housing by creating a central online location, combining existing resources on the City of Evanston website and adding new material and links to other resources
Within this last recommendation concerning information and education, we offer the following specific suggestions:
• written materials (brochure or pamphlet) are recommended for distribution in multiple locations (government offices, advocacy organizations, real estate agencies, the public libraries, schools, etc.); supplies should be adequate, widely distributed, and monitored
• educational workshops should be offered for strategically targeted audiences
• information designed for renters and homebuyers should include the following at a minimum:
– recognizing discriminatory behavior
– how to keep a written record of the housing search
– where to go for assistance if you think you have observed discriminatory behavior, whether toward yourself or others
– why one should file a complaint
– what to expect if a complaint is filed
Injecting creativity into content, marketing, and workshop locations and ensuring greater community engagement are all highly recommended, perhaps utilizing incentives to increase awareness and interest.