Fair Housing Reunion 2010: Michael Allen on Recognizing and Removing Obstacles to Fair Housing

On Wednesday, April 14, 2010, a dozen people gathered at the Evanston Ecology Center to participate in Interfaith's annual North Suburban Fair Housing Month Reunion. This Reunion is an opportunity for communities to share their successes and challenges over the past year in promoting inclusive and diverse communities, solicit advice and support, and get an in-depth perspective on a relevant topic of interest. Only Evanston and Skokie sent representatives to the meeting, although there were two Winnetka residents, staff members from Sen. Roland Burris' office, staff from the North Shore-Barrington Association of Realtors, and HUD staff present as well.

This year, the focus was on understanding the implications of HUD's large fair housing settlement with Westchester County, New York last year, which included an obligation to create 750 affordable housing units and integrate them throughout the County, including predominantly white and affluent suburbs. A federally-funded jurisdiction must analyze impediments to housing choice and create a Fair Housing Action Plan to "affirmatively further fair housing" under the federal Fair Housing Act.

Gail Schechter of Interfaith (left) with Michael Allen, keynote speaker, (center) and Andrea Juracek (right), also of Interfaith, at the Evanston Ecology Center.

Attorney Michael Allen, who litigated the case from the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Relman, Dane & Colfax, PLLC, gave a PowerPoint presentation, Recognizing and Removing Obstacles to Fair Housing: Using the Westchester Case to Address Racial Segregation and Other Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. Michael Allen is a civil rights attorney who focuses on litigation under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and Americans with Disabilities Act. He has over 25 years’ experience in litigation and other advocacy on behalf of poor people and people with disabilities. Michael has litigated and lobbied at the federal and state levels, including work on the recent landmark fair housing case, in which HUD and the Anti-Discrimination Center accused Westchester County, NY of false claims to HUD in identifying and analyzing fair housing impediments as a condition of receiving millions in federal housing and community development funds. The case has sparked nationwide discussion about the connection between lack of affordable housing and racial segregation.

A video of Michael Allen delivering the same presentation on the Westchester County case and affirmatively furthering fair housing just two days later, at Emory University, is publicly available:

Attendees discussed how this might apply to Cook County and other local areas that remain racially segregated. With municipal staff and elected official turnover in Interfaith’s 16-community service area, new policy-makers may not be aware of the affirmatively furthering requirements attached to their funding. Interfaith welcomes any and all who are interested in learning more about HUD’s enforcement of these guidelines, funding responsibilities, what it means to create a good Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing, or any other questions regarding fair housing rights. Call Interfaith at 847-501-5760.

The Interfaith Housing Center's fair housing work is underwritten by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Housing Initiatives Program. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements, and the interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government.

Stay tuned for the 7th annual Fair Housing Advocate Reunion in April 2011. For further information contact Andrea, (847) 501-5760, or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Photo Report Author: Gail Schechter. Photo by Viki Rivkin.