Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Task Force Recommendation overview session #2:

Learn about the draft recommendations from the AFFH Task Force. There will be detailed explanations and Q & A sessions at each overview session (May 2018-August 2018). Keep an eye on our full community calendar for more sessions.

Presenter David Dean (Secretary-Treasurer of Realtors Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh

Fair Housing Education for Landlords for Consumer Protection: The City of Pittsburgh, require landlords that register with the rental registry to receive basic instruction in fair housing as part of the registration process. Basic instruction can include face-to-face workshops or a web-based, interactive training. In order to complete the basic training, landlords will be required to take an evaluation at the completion of the training session. The key pieces of fair housing that the training should focus on include what are federally protected classes as well as locally protected classes (e.g. LGBTQ); un/acceptable business practices, including screening and ongoing tenant management; and disparate impact.

Presenter: Chuck Keenan, Allegheny County Department of Human Services

Non-Discriminatory Tenant Screening Criteria based on history of criminal record: The Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations (PCHR) should (1) advocate for the prohibition of use of criminal records in housing admissions, (2) publicize the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) guidance on the use of criminal records in housing admissions, (3) educate landlords on the use of criminal records as screening criteria and (4) enforce violations of the HUD and PCHR guidance. The City of Pittsburgh should review and adopt an ordinance similar to Seattle’s Fair Chance Housing Act that will make it illegal to deny a prospective tenant housing based on their past criminal history. This ordinance should incldue only limited exceptions for offenses that require registration because of Megan’s Law (Sex Crime) convictions and for accessory structures or homes in which an owner also occupies.

For more information, if you need accommodations, and to RSVP for the sessions you are interested in attending, please contact Helen Gerhardt at 412-518-7387 or helengerhardt1@gmail.com. A complete version of the draft recommendation will be sent to you in advance of the session you have RSVP’d for, either by email or by regular mail.