Indianapolis – The Indiana Civil Rights Commission hosted the State of Indiana’s 2015 Fair Housing Conference, entitled “Know Your Role: Taking Personal Responsibility in Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing”. This year’s conference was held in two locations: Indianapolis and French Lick. Over 200 attendees came out to receive valuable information on fair housing laws, regulations and procedures from experienced representatives from housing authorities throughout the Midwest.
The Indianapolis portion of the conference was held in the Indiana Government Center South on April 13th and 14th, and featured keynote speaker Jeff Lorick who is the Executive Director of the Terre Haute Human Relations Commission. The French Lick conference took place on April 21st and 22nd at the French Lick Resort Hotel and Event Center, where Lindsey Smith, Chair of the Bloomington Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, provided the keynote address.
Both legs of the conference offered a moderated panel discussion, greetings from Peggy Welch of the Office of Indiana Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann, and a lively opening plenary session from Stella Adams of S.J. Adams Consulting, Merilyn Brown of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Larry Williams of the Housing Authority of Freeport, Illinois. The topics for the breakout workshop sessions included: veteran homelessness, housing discretion and denial, reasonable accommodation, vouchers for homeownership, Section 3 compliance, and ethics and professional conduct. The ICRC also presented the preliminary results of the Indiana Statewide Fair Housing Testing Program, which is the nation’s first housing testing program to cover an entire state. Continuing Legal Education credits were offered for attorneys, paralegals, and professionals who attended these sessions as well.
The Indiana Civil Rights Commission would like to thank all of the presenters and our partners - the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Indianapolis Housing Neighborhood Partnership, the Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corporation, the Indianapolis Housing Agency, and the Indianapolis Chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials - for helping us bring greater awareness and understanding regarding the rights and responsibilities under fair housing laws during the State of Indiana's 2015 Fair Housing Conference.
For pictures from this event click here.
For additional information on the Indiana Statewide Fair Housing Testing Program click here.