National Fair Housing Alliance Signs Agreement with LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance to Focus Attention on Impact of Housing Discrimination on the LGBTQ Community
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 12, 2020
Contacts: David Siroty | david@realestatealliance.com | 908-337-5865; Izzy Woodruff | iwoodruff@nationalfairhousing.org | 202-898-1661
National Fair Housing Alliance Signs Agreement with LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance to Focus Attention on Impact of Housing Discrimination on the LGBTQ Community
Memorandum of Understanding Will Ensure Collaboration between Two Groups
St. Paul, Minn. – The new LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) allowing for joint efforts to identify and rid the nation of housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The MOU, the first signed by the new LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, calls for the two groups to cross-promote Fair Housing initiatives, educate the public about Fair Housing rights, provide Fair Housing training to LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance members and collaborate to showcase instances of housing discrimination. NFHA will have a seat on the LBGTQ+ Real Estate Alliance’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, the LGBTQ+ Mortgage Advisory Council and the Sponsor Advisory Board.
“So many are stunned to learn that the LGBTQ+ community does not have the full breadth of protections at the federal level under our nation’s fair housing and fair lending laws,” said Ryan Weyandt, CEO of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance. “While our industry, led by the National Association of Realtors®, has been proactive in working with our community in the fight for housing equality, we have a long way to go. Only 27 states and Washington, D.C. have explicit local laws to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The partnership with NFHA will allow us to work collaboratively and hopefully get us to a much better place as a community.”
Founded in 1988, NFHA is a consortium of more than 200 private, nonprofit fair housing organizations and state and local civil rights agencies from throughout the United States.
“The National Fair Housing Alliance is thrilled about partnering with the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance to advance fair housing, particularly at a time when civil rights are under attack and key tools for strengthening equity are being systematically eviscerated,” said Lisa Rice, president and CEO of NFHA. “The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently passed its harmful Disparate Impact rule, which will gut civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ people and members of other vulnerable communities, making it exceedingly harder to challenge systemic discrimination by housing providers. We must fight back, and our new partnership with the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance will give us another avenue through which to do just that.”
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About The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance
The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance is a 501(c)6 non-profit dedicated to empowering the LGBTQ+ community on the path to homeownership as we also advocate on behalf of the community on housing issues. The Alliance, founded in June 2020, is an all-inclusive organization that works to improve the professional lives of its members through a public-facing Alliance Referral Community. The Alliance began accepting members in October 2020 and has more than 50 chapters in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For more information visit realestatealliance.org.
About The National Fair Housing Alliance
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NFHA works to eliminate housing discrimination and ensure equal housing opportunity for all people through leadership, education, outreach, membership services, public policy initiatives, community development, advocacy, and enforcement. Visit nationalfairhousing.org to learn more.