Events & Training

Annual Meeting of the Members

Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit

March 27, 2024 (Wednesday) 5 pm

Please join us for this year’s Annual Meeting of the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit. You may join us online or in person at our office (5555 Conner St., Suite 2244, Detroit, MI 48213). 


During the meeting, we will share information concerning the Fair Housing Center’s services provided and program accomplishments during the past fiscal year (October 1 to September 30). 


We will also vote on our Board of Directors and approve a budget for our next fiscal year. The Board of Directors will also acknowledge individuals or organizations that have made a long-lasting impact in furthering fair housing. Other matters may be discussed as necessary to our continued fair housing services in the Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and St. Clair communities. 


Although there is no charge to attend the Annual Meeting, voting is restricted to current members of the Fair Housing Center. Individual membership is available for $50. Contributing sponsorship ($100), supporting sponsorship ($500), and other individual and business sponsorship levels are listed on our website under our Membership & Support page. Unless anonymity is requested, all members and contributing sponsors will be listed and acknowledged on our About page.  


The Center’s Board of Directors and Staff appreciate your support and look forward to serving you and our community in the upcoming year.


For more information, please contact the Center by email or telephone.

Webinar - Unlawful Lockouts: Violations and Remedies

April 23, 2024 (Tuesday) 10 am

This webinar explores the kind of unlawful “self-help” evictions and other actions landlords have engaged in to make the tenant move. These actions include more than a landlord changing locks. Other unlawful actions include using force or threat of force to coerce the tenant to move; removing or destroying a tenant’s property; interrupting or terminating utility items such as heat, running water, hot water, electric, or gas service; or introducing noise, odor, or other nuisance. Find out what can be done and what damages can be recovered when an unlawful lockout occurs.


There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Third Annual Fair Housing Bikeathon

April 27, 2024 (Saturday) 10 am

Please join us at our Third Annual Fair Housing Bikeathon. Enjoy a time with friends and partners as we participate in a bikeathon to visit notable civil rights landmarks in Detroit.


For a description of the bikeathon, to register for the bikeathon, or become a sponsor, please see our 2024 Fair Housing Bikeathon page.  You may also register below.

Tester Training

May 4, 2024 (Saturday) 10 am to Noon

One important way in which you may help make fair housing a reality in the Metropolitan Detroit area is by becoming a tester.

 

What is Testing?

 

Testing is a term that refers to a process of checking the housing market to determine the treatment accorded to different homeseekers. Two individuals, alike in every respect except the variable being tested, are sent to the same rental, sales, or mortgage lending office. Testers take careful notes of what transpires. Differences in treatment often form the basis for the successful resolution of a fair housing complaint.

 

What is a Tester?

 

As a tester, you play the role of a home seeker–-a person who is looking for a home in which to live. Testers must be objective, careful observers and reporters of what transpires as they seek housing.

 

Why Testing?

 

The testing process has been consistently supported by the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts as a legitimate, necessary, and often, the only method available to identify practices of unlawful housing discrimination. The reports and testimony by testers are accepted by courts as evidence of discriminatory conduct.

 

Where do I find out more?

 

All testers are required to complete a two-hour training course. The training takes place usually on a Saturday from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon and is provided free of charge.

 

For more information about becoming a tester, please register for the tester training course. If you have additional questions, or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Engela Bertolini, Coordinator of Systemic Investigations and Testing or Lisa Cooney, Testing Coordinator, or call the Fair Housing Center at 313-579-FAIR (3247).

Webinar - Affirmative Marketing for Developers

May 7, 2024 (Tuesday) 9 am

HUD’s Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing (AFHM) regulations (24 CFR, Part 200, Subpart M), require that all applicants participating in Federal Housing Administration (FHA) subsidized and unsubsidized housing programs that develop or rehabilitate multifamily projects or manufactured home parks of five or more lots, units, or spaces must submit an AFHM plan. Pursuant to regulatory requirements, the AFHM plan shall affirmatively seek to provide individuals of similar income levels in the same housing market area a like range of housing choices available to them regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin. Additionally, each applicant for participation in FHA subsidized and unsubsidized housing programs shall pursue an affirmative fair housing marketing policies in soliciting buyers and tenants, in determining their eligibility, and in concluding sales and rental transactions.


Similarly, MSHDA’s Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plan (AFHMP) requirements for MSHDA-financed developments seek to provide persons of all racial and/or ethnic backgrounds with an opportunity for occupancy that approximates the ethnic population percentages in the housing development’s market area. MSHDA’s AFHMP requirements also require that housing units be marketed to persons with disabilities. The Affirmative Marketing program should ensure that all groups of persons, who are ordinarily not likely to apply for housing units without special outreach, will learn about the housing opportunity, feel welcome to apply, and have an equal opportunity to rent.


This webinar will explore the requirements and elements of effective AFHM and AFHMP programs and identify samples of such effective programs.


This webinar is being jointly presented by the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit (FHCMD) and the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan (FHCWM). There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email

to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director of the FHCMD, or an email to Liz Keegan, Director of Education & Outreach for the FHCWM.

Webinar -Who Can Be Liable for a Fair Housing Violation?

The Nuts and Bolts for Identifying Responsible Parties

 May 21, 2024 (Tuesday) 10 am

A little-known HUD regulation (24 CFR § 100.7 – Liability for Discriminatory Housing Practices) sets forth the standard for determining who can be liable for a fair housing violation. This webinar will explore the two types of liability—direct liability and vicarious liability. Helpful explanations and illustrations will clarify when an owner or property management company can be directly liable or have vicarious liability for the discriminatory conduct of an employee or agent. This webinar will also address the types of circumstances in which an owner or property manager can be held liable for discriminatory conduct of a tenant against another tenant.


There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Webinar - Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and

Domestic Violence in Housing

June 4, 2024 (Tuesday) 10 am

This webinar will address the continued problem of sex discrimination in housing, including quid pro quo and hostile environment harassment. Additional topics to be covered include HUD’s "Equal Access Rule", the Violence Against Women Act ("VAWA"), and early lease terminations due to domestic violence. This webinar will also help participants keep up to date on recent HUD regulations, policies, and guidance, and current court decisions. 


There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Webinar - Medical Marijuana & Fair Housing

June 25, 2024 (Tuesday) 10 am

Questions are often asked in fair housing training sessions concerning recreational and medical marijuana. Are tenants of rental properties and residents of condominium and cooperative properties entitled to the medical use of marijuana as a reasonable accommodation of their disabilities? Do the requirements vary in federally assisted housing? May a housing provider implement a non-smoking policy or drug-free policy that restricts the use medical marijuana by means other than smoking? Are these questions governed exclusively by federal law? What role does state law play in answering these questions and, if so, what kinds of lease provisions are permitted? These questions and more will be analyzed under current federal and state fair housing and landlord-tenant laws.


There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Veterans' Preferences & Fair Housing

July 16, 2024 (Tuesday) 10 am

Are veterans a protected class under any federal, state, or local statutes or ordinances? While HUD's Public Housing Occupancy Handbook permits public housing agencies ("PHAs") to offer veteran’s preferences, may private housing providers adopt such policies consistent with fair housing requirements? This brief but important webinar will explore fair housing issues involving veterans and residential housing.


There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Tester Training

July 27, 2024 (Saturday) 10 am to Noon

One important way in which you may help make fair housing a reality in the Metropolitan Detroit area is by becoming a tester.

 

What is Testing?

 

Testing is a term that refers to a process of checking the housing market to determine the treatment accorded to different homeseekers. Two individuals, alike in every respect except the variable being tested, are sent to the same rental, sales, or mortgage lending office. Testers take careful notes of what transpires. Differences in treatment often form the basis for the successful resolution of a fair housing complaint.

 

What is a Tester?

 

As a tester, you play the role of a home seeker–-a person who is looking for a home in which to live. Testers must be objective, careful observers and reporters of what transpires as they seek housing.

 

Why Testing?

 

The testing process has been consistently supported by the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts as a legitimate, necessary, and often, the only method available to identify practices of unlawful housing discrimination. The reports and testimony by testers are accepted by courts as evidence of discriminatory conduct.

 

Where do I find out more?

 

All testers are required to complete a two-hour training course. The training takes place usually on a Saturday from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon and are provided free of charge.


For more information about becoming a tester, please register for the tester training course. If you have additional questions or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Engela Bertolini, Coordinator of Systemic Investigations and Testing or Lisa Cooney, Testing Coordinator, or call the Fair Housing Center at 313-579-FAIR (3247).

Hoarding Disorders & Fair Housing

July 30, 2024 (Tuesday) 10 am

Does hoarding or hoarding disorder constitute a disability under the fair housing laws? Can a person with a hoarding disorder, assuming it is a covered disability, make a reasonable accommodation request and, if so, how should it be addressed? In light of these concerns, how can a landlord or property manager address the health and safety concerns? How much time (and potentially additional storage space) should be allotted to complete remedial efforts in a unit? How should a landlord or property manager respond to concerns or complaints from other residents as to a resident with a hoarding disorder? Are there any other services that should be considered in situations involving hoarding? These questions and others will be addressed in this timely webinar. 


There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Webinar - Criminal Record Training for Housing Providers –

Best Practices for Tenant Selection & Tenant Termination 

August 20, 2024 (Tuesday) 10 am

This webinar will begin by outlining common fair housing violations that arise in the use of overbroad or restrictive criminal record policies. The webinar will also address “fair chance” ordinances that restrict a housing provider's inquiries as to an applicant's criminal record. These ordinances also require that the housing provider give the applicant an opportunity to provide rehabilitative information before the housing provider makes a final decision based on the applicant's criminal record. 

 

The main purpose of this webinar, however, is to explore sample best practice policies that can be used to evaluate the criminal history of housing applicants and, equally significant, to evaluate the criminal activity during occupancy that may warrant the termination of occupancy. This webinar should be helpful for landlords, resident managers, third-party screening companies, and others seeking to adopt and apply criminal record policies that adhere to fair housing requirements. 


There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Webinar - Residential Appraisals/Fair Lending

 Best Practices for Developing a Reconsideration of Value or “ROV” Policy 

September 17, 2024 (Tuesday) 10 am

News accounts and research reports have drawn attention to the problem of the undervaluation of homes in majority-minority communities. The studies include Freddie Mac’s Research Note on the Racial and Ethnic Gaps in Home Purchase Appraisals (Sept. 20, 2021). The Federal Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity or “PAVE” in March 2022 issued an Action Plan to combat bias in residential appraisals. Further, the National Fair Housing Alliance in January 2022 issued a report, entitled Identifying Bias and Barriers, Promoting Equity: An Analysis of the USPAP Standards and Appraiser Qualifications Criteria, found that the approximately 96.5% of appraisers are White and 70% are male.   


The Center in a prior webinar provided practical advice regarding the legal standards of liability and the ways to document instances of discrimination in residential appraisal practices. The webinar also contained citations to case law and other authorities are provided to aid attorneys and investigators addressing appraisal discrimination cases.


This follow-up webinar will focus on the reconsideration of value or “ROV” process for challenging appraisals that come in below the contract price or loan amount. After examining the Tidewater Initiative for VA loans (VA Circular 26-03-11) and HUD’s FHA Reconsideration of Value guideline (Single Family Housing Policy Handbook, HUD 4150.2), the webinar will discuss important requirements of an effective ROV process and provide a model ROV policy. At a minimum, buyers and their agents should carefully examine a lender’s ROV process before submitting a loan application. This webinar will provide practical guidance needed by purchasers and their agents. 


There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Webinar - Home Purchase Fraud Prevention – “Lease-to-Own”, “Contract for Deed”, “Sale and Leaseback”, Land Contracts, and Other Home Purchase Arrangements

October 1, 2024 (Tuesday) 10 am

For buyers who cannot obtain traditional financing for a home purchase, some have advocated that home purchasers consider alternative types of transactions, including “lease-to-own”, “contract for deed”, “sale and leaseback”, land contracts, and other home purpose arrangements. But what risks are associated with these types of agreements? Do they really make sense for a buyer? What should a buyer do when one of these situations fall through—as they often do—after buyers have paid thousands of dollars and lost the opportunity to own their own homes? This webinar will explore all of these and other questions and provide concrete answers. 


There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Tester Training

October 26, 2024 (Saturday) 10 am to Noon

One important way in which you may help make fair housing a reality in the Metropolitan Detroit area is by becoming a tester.

 

What is Testing?

 

Testing is a term that refers to a process of checking the housing market to determine the treatment accorded to different homeseekers. Two individuals, alike in every respect except the variable being tested, are sent to the same rental, sales, or mortgage lending office. Testers take careful notes of what transpires. Differences in treatment often form the basis for the successful resolution of a fair housing complaint.

 

What is a Tester?

 

As a tester, you play the role of a home seeker–-a person who is looking for a home in which to live. Testers must be objective, careful observers and reporters of what transpires as they seek housing.

 

Why Testing?

 

The testing process has been consistently supported by the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts as a legitimate, necessary, and often, the only method available to identify practices of unlawful housing discrimination. The reports and testimony by testers are accepted by courts as evidence of discriminatory conduct.

 

Where do I find out more?

 

All testers are required to complete a two-hour training course. The training takes place usually on a Saturday from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon and are provided free of charge.

 

For more information about becoming a tester, please register for the tester training course. If you have additional questions or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Engela Bertolini, Coordinator of Systemic Investigations and Testing or Lisa Cooney, Testing Coordinator, or call the Fair Housing Center at 313-579-FAIR (3247).


Registration QR Code

Please feel free to share on your cell phone our Events & Training QR code with those who are interested in registering for our fair housing events and training opportunities!


If you have any questions, please call us at (313) 579-FAIR (3247) or send an email to info@fairhousingdetroit.org.

Share by: