Fair Housing-Participant Guide

Participant Guide - Fair Housing

Pdf Summary

The document is a NAHRO Professional Development training packet titled <strong>“Fair Housing Seminar Case Studies and Program Activities.”</strong> It provides a pretest, quizzes, and discussion-based activities designed to build practical understanding of federal and related fair housing requirements, especially regarding disability rights and reasonable accommodations.

Key components include:  
- <strong>Fair Housing Awareness Pretest/True-False and multiple-choice items</strong> covering major laws and concepts: the Fair Housing Act, protected classes (race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, disability), disability definitions, who can bring a claim, and whether discrimination rules apply to rentals/sales and related transactions like lending. It also includes public housing/HCV and Section 504 compliance topics (self-assessments/transition plans, accessible unit priorities, UFAS requirements in larger construction/rehab, and the scope of accommodations a PHA must consider).  
- <strong>Disability discrimination hypotheticals</strong> (14 scenarios) asking participants to determine whether conduct indicates unlawful discrimination and why. Scenarios address “direct threat,” steering, refusal to rent, added fees, intrusive disability inquiries, zoning/community resistance, smoke sensitivity, disparate treatment during showings, clustering/segregation, and harassment issues.  
- <strong>Reasonable accommodation case study (Ed and parking):</strong> explores when an assigned parking space is required, documentation/verification, interactive process duties, reasonableness and necessity, and whether equal treatment means identical treatment.  
- <strong>Sexual orientation harassment case study:</strong> discusses hostile environment claims, differences between federal and state protections, and what actions a housing provider/PHA may have an affirmative duty to take, including transfers and documentation.  
- <strong>Familial status/“55+” housing case study:</strong> explains the Housing for Older Persons exemption requirements (80% occupancy by at least one 55+ resident, published/adhered-to policies, and proper verification), and consequences of noncompliance.  
- Additional modules cover <strong>reasonable modifications</strong> rules (who pays, restoration, contractor limits), examples of <strong>approved accommodations in public/assisted housing</strong>, an <strong>HCV disability provisions summary</strong>, and <strong>sample verification forms</strong> for disability and accommodation needs.

Keywords

Fair Housing Act

NAHRO professional development

protected classes

disability discrimination

reasonable accommodation

reasonable modification

Section 504 compliance

Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program

direct threat standard

Housing for Older Persons Act (55+ exemption)