HUD says response to fair housing audit "reflects the City's commitment to fulfilling its obligations"
May 19, 2011
In an article this morning, American Independent reporter Mikhail Zinshteyn takes a closer look at Fair Housing laws in Oregon. His article, "Portland housing outcry failed to understand complexity of discrimination enforcement, says HUD spokesman," looks at the Fair Housing audit we recently commissioned and the reactions of groups around the state.
"Caught in the crossroads" of those reactions, he writes, "were city officials who were bound by administrative procedure to assess the results and leave all options on the table. To fair housing experts, that meant considering what action to take...which can range from mediation and education on fair housing laws to fines and civil suits."
"To [HUD spokesman Leland] Jones," Zinshteyn reports, "the initial media coverage poorly explained why Portland was suddenly faced with reports of discrimination." Zinshteyn later quotes Jones as saying that Commissioner Fish "is doing what he is supposed to be doing" in response to the audit findings that we still have work to do to combat discrimination in our community.