Letter to the Residents of Norristown

July 27, 2020

Dear Residents and Friends of Fair Housing in the Municipality of Norristown,

The Fair Housing Rights Center in Southeastern Pennsylvania (FHRC) hopes that you and your family are staying safe and well during the pandemic and social unrest. Both events have unmasked and exacerbated long-standing social disparities and inequities that have been preventing all people from living full lives.

FHRC was established in 1992 to ensure equal access to housing opportunities for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, familial status, and disability.

Because of the Coronavirus, the office is closed. However, staff is teleworking and can answer calls/emails,interview potential victims of discrimination, disseminate information about fair housing and related topics, investigate allegations of discrimination, enforce meritorious complaints, request reasonable accommodations, and schedule virtual meetings and fair housing educational sessions.

Housing is at the core of our lives, and recent national events could result in record numbers of evictions and foreclosures when moratoria end. In mid-May, the House of Representative passed the HEROES Act, which includes financial relief for rentals and mortgages. No fair housing organization can bring forth the relief that is listed in the HEROES Act. Fair housing agencies hope for the best; however, the public will be responsible for determining if our nation’s Senate will pass the HEROES Act. If so, our society may avoid unimaginable numbers of evictions and foreclosures. If the public fails to secure the HEROES Act, we might witness record rates of homelessness, displacement, and institutionalization that will originate from unemployment and illness.

To schedule virtual meetings and fair housing educational sessions, we are using Zoom. We want to hear from and serve the public by assisting victims of domestic violence and/or sexual harassment, essential workers, housing providers, housing counselors, NAACP,law enforcement, religious groups, civic groups, Black Lives Matter, civil rights groups, LGBTQA+community, pediatric centers, environmental organizations, among others. The following list includes examples of Zoom sessions you can request immediately:

•Recent Fair Housing Investigations that Uncovered Race-based Housing Discrimination in Norristown
•Preserving and Searching for New Housing during the Pandemic
•Fair Housing and COVID
•Fair Housing and Social Inequities
•The Fair Housing Act and Multifamily Housing Accessibility Requirements
•Fair Housing and Health Disparities
•Modern-day Redlining Practices by Lenders
•Fair Housing Education for Consumers
•Fair Housing Education for Housing Counselors
•Fair Housing Education for Housing Providers
•Fair Housing Education for Human ServicesProviders
•Fair Housing Education for Public Interest Lawyers

To schedule a Zoom meeting or educational session, please contact Rayonne Grizzle at 215-625-0700 Ext. 16 or rgrizzle@fairhousingrights.org. Ms. Grizzle is available Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM.

We will resume publishing the Homeseekers List for the residents of the Municipality of Norristown. Until further notice, the Homeseekers List will be available monthly.

In closing, please take a little time to engage in self-care.

Sincerely,
Angela McIverAngela McIver,
MSS, MLSPChief Executive Offic