DOJ Files Race Discrimination Lawsuit Against Housing Authority in Oklahoma
This week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a lawsuit against the Housing Authority of the Town of Lone Wolf, Oklahoma and two of its former employees. A DOJ press release from December 15, 2020 announced a lawsuit that alleges that former employees David Haynes and Myrna Hess violated the Fair Housing Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when they refused an African-American woman’s housing application for her and her five-year-old daughter on the basis of race. The woman and her daughter were residing in a shelter and seeking affordable housing.
Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division said of the violation, “Denying people housing opportunities because of their race or color is an egregious violation of the Fair Housing Act. Discrimination by those who receive federal taxpayer dollars to provide housing to lower-income applicants is particularly odious. The Justice Department will not tolerate illegal housing discrimination in any form and we will continue to fight to protect the rights of all Americans to rent and own their homes without regard to their race or color.”
Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Inc. was helping the woman and her daughter to secure housing in 2015. The complaint alleges that when Legal Aid reached out to the Housing Authority, they were told that there was housing available. However, after finding out that the woman and her child were black, the Housing Authority denied their application and stated there was no available housing. Legal Aid conducted a test to provide evidence of discrimination. According to the complaint, when a tester white family applied for housing, they were shown three vacant apartments. When a tester black family came, they were told there were no vacant apartments.
Anna María Farías, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity said, “Families have a tough enough time finding decent affordable housing without having their options limited because of their race. HUD applauds today’s action and will continue working with the Justice Department to take appropriate action when the nation’s fair housing laws are violated.”
Legal Aid filed a complaint against the Housing Authority with HUD, which prompted an investigation.