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Toledo Fair Housing Center’s 40th Anniversary
Gala
Special to the Truth
The Toledo Fair Housing Center held their 40th Anniversary
Gala and WGTE Toledo Stories Documentary Premiere April 23
at the Valentine Theatre.
Gustavo Velasquez, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal
Opportunity was the featured speaker for the event.
Cocktails and grazing stations were provided by
Georgio’s Cafe International, and guests enjoyed
the world premiere of the
WGTE
Public Media documentary of Toledo's continued
struggle for housing equality and a glimpse into what's to
come for the organization.
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HUD Assistant Secretary Gustavo Velasquez,
National FHA Exec. VP Lisa Rice, Toledo FHC Executive
Director Michael Marsh |
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In 1975, the Fair Housing Center was founded on the principles of
community, tolerance, and justice. It was a commitment to
these principles that ignited the Women of the Old West End
Neighborhood Association and several other concerned
citizens and community groups to establish an organization
that would combat discriminatory housing practices.
Over the past 40 years, the Center has carried out its mission
through the investigation of over 11,500 complaints,
resulting in awards of over $30 million for victims of
discrimination. During this time, the Center has also
demonstrated a talent for setting national precedents in the
enforcement of fair housing laws and expanding housing
opportunities for millions of Americans.
The Center conducts multiple educational outreach programs,
provides housing and foreclosure prevention counseling
services, advocates for the rights of victims, investigates
and litigates allegations of housing discrimination. The
Center’s staff is one of the best in the country, and their
achievements have been recognized at the local, state and
national levels.
Members of the Center’s staff have given presentations at
conferences sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the
Ohio Fair Housing Congress, the Federal Reserve Bank, the
Center for Community Change, the Alliance of Allied
Insurers, the National Association of REALTORS®,the
Ohio Housing Finance Agency, and the National Fair Housing
Alliance.
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