Agenda - 05-16-2006-5j - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

9 of .1, City of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 1 1@0 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice 1.0 INTRODUCTION The City of Cuyahoga Falls has completed this Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) as part of a comprehensive program developed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to assure that communities are meeting requirements "to affirmatively further fair housing" as set forth in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. The goal of this analysis is to identify impediments to fair housing and provide recommendations that can be used to ameliorate any fair housing impediments. This analysis was conducted for the City by Donald B Eager and Associates, LLC (Consultant). The Consultant has used a variety of resources to prepare the analysis. A list of these resources is included in Appendix 1. Throughout this document we use a number of technical terms related to US Census data, lending data and other information. To help the reader understand what these terms mean we have included in Appendix 2 Glossary of Key Terms. 2.0 FAIR HOUSING AND THE COMMUNITY Fair Housing means that all citizens and non citizens of the United States can live where they want and can afford without regard to their race, color, national origin, sex, religion or because of their disability or have children in the family (familial status). Fair Housing is protected by federal, state and local laws in City of Cuyahoga Falls. Fair Housing law very broadly covers appraisal, renting, sale /buying, financing and insuring of housing. The consequence of housing discrimination includes: the denial of housing in the area of choice; emotional harm and financial loss; denial of quality of an integrated community and associations; denial of expanding job opportunities in the suburbs; lack of access to greater choices of schools; negative attitudes toward the community; perpetuation of other housing problems and the loss of cultural diversity. Housing discrimination is rarely blatant. It is usually disguised and, more often than not, done with a smile and a handshake. It is important that each community guarantee its current and future residents that they will be able to live where they want and can afford. Fair Housing is not only established by federal, state and local law, but through hundreds of court cases on every level. The cost of maintaining an effective fair housing program can be funded through state and federal resources including Community Development Block Grant funds. Nondiscrimination in all aspects of housing - buying, selling, renting, financing, insuring, developing and regulating - is an established benefit and an essential foundation of the community.