FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Registration for the 2021 Fair Housing Summit is set to close on October 4.
The event features keynote speaker Aaron Carr, who is the Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit watchdog group Housing Rights Initiative (HRI) in New York City.
His organization uses a data-driven and systematic approach to investigating real estate fraud and connecting tenants to legal support.
The City released the following:
The Summit is hosted by the City of Fort Wayne’s Metropolitan Human Relations Commission and Office of Housing & Neighborhood Services and is set for October 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Conference Center, 4000 Parnell Ave. Breakfast and lunch are provided and there is no charge for the event. Anyone interested in the event can get more here.
Attendance is limited to the first 250 people. To minimize the spread of Covid-19 masks will be required during the event and hand sanitizers placed throughout the venue.
In addition to Aaron Carr, attendees will have the chance to hear from fair housing experts during various workshops. Amy Nelson, who is the Executive Director of Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, will discuss Home Appraisal Discrimination. Sara Pratt, Counsel at Relman Colfax will host a session on National Origin Discrimination. Tom Crishon, Legal Director at Indiana Disability Rights will address the Disability Legal Update and Stephen Dane, Counsel at Dane Law LLC will talk about LGBTQ Discrimination. Redlining, Housing and Homelessness will also be discussed.
Carr’s work has been profiled in media outlets like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Most recently, HRI launched a lawsuit against 88 landlords and brokers in New York City and another lawsuit against 36 landlords and brokers in Westchester, NY for illegally denying housing to Section 8 voucher holders. Since its launch in 2016, HRI has generated close to 80 class action lawsuits against some of the biggest real estate companies in the country.
Fort Wayne Metro’s mission is to enforce civil rights laws and empower the citizens of Fort Wayne through education on diversity and discrimination issues. The City’s Office of Housing & Neighborhood Services works to attract and support housing investment throughout the community and expand access to safe, quality, affordable housing. The department also partners with local non-profit organizations to address critical needs in the community.
