Thurston County, Housing Authority of Thurston County, and City of Olympia want to know how housing discrimination impacts people in their communities.
The organizations are partnering on this and other fair housing efforts to address the real challenges residents may face. To better understand such barriers, they’re asking for residents’ input in a questionnaire available on the Engage Olympia website at engage.olympiawa.gov/fair-housing-assessment. All Thurston County residents are invited to participate.
What is fair housing? Federal or state fair housing laws protect people from discrimination in housing based on: race, color, national origin, religion, sex (includes gender identity and sexual orientation), family status, disability, immigration or citizenship status, marital status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, and source of income such as SSI or use of Section 8 voucher. Fair housing efforts extend beyond protecting against discrimination to also undo harm caused by segregation and other disparities so all residents can thrive.
Individuals with lived experience or experience gained through local organization efforts to meet housing, education, transportation, economic, environmental health and disability access needs, are particularly invited to share input.
City, County and Housing Authority staff will use the feedback alongside demographic, environmental health, school, transit, jobs data, and stakeholder information, to guide efforts. The input feedback will help prioritize areas for future funding and inform implementation of regional housing efforts. In Olympia, for example, the feedback will help inform implementation of its Housing Action Plan.“ Access to housing is something we’re actively working to expand in our community and providing fair access is critical. To do this effectively we need to know where we’re already doing great and where our community members may be experiencing barriers,” said Christa Lenssen, Olympia housing program specialist.
Those who encounter unfair housing practices may visit the City of Olympia’s tenant protections web page, contact the Fair Housing Center of Washington, Northwest Justice Project (including source of income discrimination under statewide landlord-tenant law), Washington State Human Rights Commission, or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to learn more.
Residents can stay informed of this and similar City efforts by signing up to receive housing and homelessness e-new updates from the City’s website. |