The Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that supports and encourages equal housing opportunities in the greater Detroit metropolitan area.
The Fair Housing Center is a membership-based organization. The Center was established in 1977 by community members who participated in a “Coalition to End Discrimination in Housing" under the leadership and guidance of Cliff Schrupp, the Center’s founder and first director. The Center is the oldest fair housing center in Michigan and one of the oldest fair housing centers in the nation.
Cliff later authored the Local Fair Housing Center Organizing Project: Organizing Instructions and Materials, a guide that established approximately 20 fair housing centers throughout the United States.
The Fair Housing Center’s mission is to ensure equal access to housing without discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), familial status, disability, and all other protected class categories under federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws and ordinances. From 1977 to the present, the Center has strived to fulfill its mission by engaging in the following activities: providing assistance to individuals pursuing legal rights and remedies related to fair housing; offering housing assistance and counseling; providing community outreach, education, and fair housing training; and performing research in the area of housing.
To date, the Fair Housing Center has received over 8,000 complaints of fair housing violations. After investigating, the Center assisted in and initiated approximately 500 litigations, recovering over $12 million to remedy fair housing violations, as well as various forms of affirmative relief including the adoption of non-discriminatory policies and fair housing training. Notably, the Center has also helped thousands of others obtain the housing of their choice without the necessity of litigation. Indeed, many fair housing and landlord-tenant complaints are resolved after the Center informs housing providers and complainants as to what the law requires.
The Center also provides answers to questions from owners, property management companies, and other housing providers (boards of condominium association or cooperative, public housing authorities, etc.) concerning fair housing compliance and best practices.
The Fair Housing Center has been the recipient of numerous awards for its fair housing services. At the national level, the Center received a Fair Housing Testing Award from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a
Best Practices Award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). At the state level, the Center was the first awardee of the
Kimberly M. Cahill Bar Leadership Award from the State Bar of Michigan.
Our service area is the Detroit Metropolitan Area, including Michigan's three most populous counties: Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties. Additionally, the Center has recently added St. Clair County as a fourth county in its service area.
Major cities and townships within the Center’s four county service area include:
Our four county service area includes over 4 million residents, exceeding 40% of Michigan’s population. Our service area also includes the majority of all Black or African American residents in Michigan, as well as high percentages of other racial, ethnic, and language groups.
Steve Tomkowiak, B.S., M.A., J.D.
Executive Director
Engela D. Bertolini, B.A., M.A, M.A.T.
Coordinator of Systemic Investigations and Testing
Dia Chiku F. Mason, B.A., J.D.
Staff Attorney
Aron Hagos, L.L.B., L.L.M.
Fair Housing Specialist
Roshelle Woods, B.A.
Intake Specialist
Charles Shanaman, B.A., M.A.
Coordinator of Administration and Investigations
Deborah Eggleston, CPA
Accountant
Blair Pearce, CB
Bookkeeper
Our office is located in the
Samaritan Center. The Samaritan Center has a long history of serving the disadvantaged. The mission of the Samaritan Center is to provide a facility for a unique group of independent, community-based organizations.
As illustrated by the ceramic tile murals at the entrance to the Samaritan Center, the organizations working at the Samaritan Center provide healthcare, education, training, employment, and a host of other programs leading to economic development and self-sufficiency.
Steve Tomkowiak, B.S., M.A., J.D.
Executive Director
Engela D. Bertolini, B.A., M.A., M.A.T.
Coordinator of Systemic Investigations and Testing
Testing Coordinator
Fair Housing Compliance Specialist
Intake Specialist
Karlynne Tucker Scaggs, KITucker, LLC
Chairperson
Noel J. Saleh, Esq., Law Office of Noel J. Saleh, P.C.
Vice-Chairperson
Dennis J. Varian, Associated Management Co.
Vice-Chairperson
Lucy H. Maddox, Retired
Secretary
Vernon L Shadd, Retired
Treasurer
Terry L. Ward., Retired
Leah Brewer, CALP, CAM, Full House Marketing, Inc.
David J. Cross, Esq., Lakeshore Legal Aid
Hector Hernandez, Executive Director, MiSide Community Impact Network
Renae Johnson, Mature Real Estate Services
Gayle S. McGregor, Esq.
John A. Obee, Esq., Of Counsel, Wood, Kull, Herschfus, Obee & Kull, P.C.
Sharon Rhodes, T. J. Enterprise & Associates, Inc.
Freda G. Sampson, Freda G. Sampson, LLC
Lindsay Yousif, Executive Director of Compliance, Fair & Responsible Banking, Ally Bank
We acknowledge and appreciate the financial support we receive from national and local governmental entities. The Fair Housing Center could not operate as effectively or serve the fair housing needs of our community without this support.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA)
Wayne County
Macomb County
Oakland County
Clinton Township
Royal Oak
Dearborn
Dearborn Heights
Livonia
St. Clair Shores
Waterford Township
Farmington Hills
Westland
Southfield
Annual Reports
Newsletters
Annual Reports
Historical Reports and Records
Newsletters
Address: 5555 Conner St., Suite 2244 Detroit, MI 48213-3487
Phone: (313) 579-FAIR
Fax: (313) 963-4817
Email: info@fairhousingdetroit.org
Address: 5555 Conner St., Suite 2244, Detroit, MI 48213-3487
Phone: 313-579-FAIR
Fax: 313-963-4817
Email: info@fairhousingdetroit.org
Address: 5555 Conner, Suite 2244, Detroit, MI 48213-3487
Phone: 313-579-FAIR
Fax: 313-963-4817
Email: info@fairhousingdetroit.org