News & Events

Program Highlights

  • The State of Fair Housing: A Report from the National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal OpportunityOn April 30, 2010, HUSL Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Okianer Christian Dark, was a keynote speaker on “The State of Fair Housing: A Report from the National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.” at the Annual Conference sponsored by the Long Island Fair Housing Services. The program was held at Touro School of Law in Central Islip, NY. Also, Associate Dean Dark recently published an article titled “Accomplishing the Goals of the Fair Housing Act” in The Housing Journal, published by the membership of the Delaware Housing Coalition. Her article begins on page six. May 10, 2010
  • Archived Testimony of Prof. Brian Gilmore before the House Subcommitte on Housing and community OpportunityIf you missed Professor Brian Gilmore’s testimony as one of the witnesses before the House Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity hearing regarding the Housing Fairness Act of 2009 (H.R. 476), you may click link above.

    If you would like to view Prof. Gilmore’s testimony in particular, it begins approximately 1 hour and 8 minutes into the hearing and he answers some questions approximately 6 minutes later.

    H.R. 476, the Housing Fairness Act of 2009, is a bill sponsored by Rep. Al Green, (D-Texas 9th District). The bill authorizes $20 million annually for HUD to administer a nationwide testing program to measure patters of adverse treatment based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, disability or national origins in rentals, real estate sales, and lending practices.     January 20, 2010
  • Gilmore Weighs in Over the Airwaves of NPR’s KCRW “To The Point”, Santa Monica, CANew York’s Westchester County was sued for defrauding the federal government by misrepresenting its efforts to comply with conditions mandated for housing assistance. On Monday, August 10th, the County entered into a “landmark desegregation agreement,” compelling creation of affordable housing in overwhelmingly white communities, including Scarsdale, Broxville and Hastings-on-Hudson. NPR radio station KCRW interviews Gerald McKinstry of the Journal News and Brian Gilmore, supervising attorney for the Fair Housing Clinic at Howard University School of Law. Click the above link, when the media player for KCRW appears, advance to the player to 41:00 of the broadcast where Professor Gilmore’s segment is. The program is 60 minutes, and Prof. Gilmore’s interview begins 41 minutes into the program. August 11, 2009

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Howard Law Fair Housing News Digest

  • Survey: Mortgage Closing Costs 37% HigherA new federal rule this year requiring mortgage lenders to give borrowers reliable estimates of closing costs appears to be working — whether it’s also costing borrowers more money is uncertain. A recent survey by Bankrate.com found that, on average, origination and third-party fees on a $200,000 purchase mortgage added up to $3,741 — a 37% jump over last year’s average of $2,739. The fees can include appraisals, credit reports, a closing or settlement attorney and surveys. August 31, 2010
  • Using Private Eyes to Keep Track of TenantsIn a high-rent borough like Manhattan with plenty of rent-regulated apartments ripe for exploitation, real estate investigation has long been a big business. Private detectives say it has picked up in the past year as some New Yorkers have tried to find extra money by moving out of their apartments and subletting to other renters for more than they are paying, which is not allowed. And, of course, there are landlords pressed for cash, trying to root out people who are using rent-controlled or rent-stabilized apartments illegally. This would allow the landlords to find new tenants and raise the rent by 20 percent or more under state housing law. During the speculation boom of the last decade, some large landlords were accused of using private investigators to harass legal tenants out of their apartments in order to raise rents to cover large mortgages and increase their profits. August 31, 2010
  • Community & Resistance After Katrina: Jordan Flaherty and Tracie Washington on the Fight to Save New OrleansDemocracy Now! President Obama visited New Orleans on Sunday and praised the recovery of the city and the resilience of its people five years after Hurricane Katrina. We talk to lifelong New Orleans resident and civil rights attorney, Tracie Washington, and Jordan Flaherty, a community organizer and author of Floodlines: Community and Resistance from Katrina to the Jena Six. August 31, 2010

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Events Calendar