It is the policy of the Town of Wethersfield
to affirmatively promote maximum choice in the selection of sale or
rental housing regardless of color, religion, sex or national origin;
to promote the lessening of racial, ethnic and economic concentration;
and to protect citizens under the following state and federal statutes:
A.
Civil Rights Act of 1866: prohibits racial discrimination
in the sale or rental of all housing [as upheld in Jones vs. Mayer
392US409 (1968)].
B.
Executive Order 11063 (1962): prohibits discrimination
based on race, color, creed or national origin in housing and related
facilities which are owned or operated by the federal government or
which are provided by federal financial assistance, including mortgage
insurance and guaranty program.
C.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: provides
that no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race,
color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied
the benefits of or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under
any program or activity for which the applicant receives federal financial
assistance.
D.
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended
by the Community Development Act of 1974: provides for fair housing
by prohibiting discrimination in sale or rental based on race, color,
religion, sex or national origin through and of the following acts:
refusal to deal; discrimination in terms, conditions or privileges;
discriminatory advertising; false representation; blockbusting; discrimination
in financing; discrimination in use of or membership in multiple listing
services and real estate brokers' organizations. Housing covered under
these provisions includes multifamily dwellings of five or more units,
multifamily dwellings containing four or fewer units if the owner
is not in residence; single-family houses not owned by private individuals;
single-family dwellings owned by private individuals who own more
than three such houses or who in any two-year period sell more than
one in which the owner was not the most recent resident.
E.
Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development
Act of 1974: provides that no person in the United States shall, on
the grounds of race, color, national origin or sex, be excluded under
any program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds provided
under Title I of this Act.
F.
Public Accommodations and Credit Discrimination Section
of the General Statutes of Connecticut: extends coverage under federal
legislation by also including protection against discrimination based
on creed, ancestry, marital status or physical disability and defines
housing to include property offered for residential construction or
use and mobile home parks. Under Connecticut law, all housing accommodations
are included except for two-family houses and rooming facilities if
the owner is in residence. Additional exemptions with regard to sex
only include associations or organizations traditionally providing
accommodations to one sex and not requiring rental or sale of housing
to persons of a different sex who are not related by blood or marriage.
Also exempted with regard to age only is the sale or rental of housing
accommodations set up specifically for certain age groups.
A Fair Housing Officer shall be appointed by
the Town Manager. Said Officer shall have the responsibility and authority
to administer and implement the Fair Housing Plan and shall perform
duties which include the following:
A.
Keeping current on all pertinent state and federal
legislation relating to fair housing.
B.
Disseminating information, in accord with the Human
Rights and Relations Commission, concerning the Town's commitment
to fair housing to community groups, local real estate brokers, local
lending institutions, landlords, developers, Town officials and the
general public.
C.
Participating in accord with the Human Rights and
Relations Commission, in educational workshops or seminars concerning
the ramifications of fair housing legislation and the Town's commitment
to fair housing.
D.
Developing and distributing the forms needed to properly
file a fair housing grievance.
E.
Assisting persons who feel they have been discriminated
against, by trying to affect voluntary compliance on the part of the
landlord or seller or by assisting them in filing a complaint with
the proper state and federal agencies.
F.
Providing assistance to the Town's Human Rights and
Relations Commission and keeping the Commission informed of all grievances
and other related fair housing activities.
G.
Requesting the Chairman of the Human Rights and Relations
Commission to call special meeting of the Human Rights and Relations
Commission when a particular fair housing issue must be considered
prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting.
H.
Maintaining a separate fair housing file which documents
all actions taken to affirmatively further fair housing opportunities
in Wethersfield. Said file shall be open for inspection to the public
within the bounds of confidentiality guaranteed by law.
A.
Any person who feels that he or she has been discriminated
against in an attempt to secure housing within the Town of Wethersfield
may file a complaint with the Fair Housing Officer of the Town of
Wethersfield at the Town Hall or directly with the Human Rights and
Relations Commission. To facilitate and standardize the complaint
filing procedure, forms provided by the Department of Housing and
Urban Development shall be used, and additional forms or background
information will be developed as required.
B.
The Fair Housing Officer shall review the complaint
and, if the Fair Housing Officer cannot effect voluntary compliance
with the law on the local level, the complaint shall be referred to
the Human Rights and Relations Commission which will assist the person
in channeling the complaint to the Department of Housing and Urban
Development and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.
The Fair Housing Officer shall be responsible for keeping tract of
all referrals and providing whatever assistance is needed by the agencies
involved.
This article shall constitute the Fair Housing
Plan for the Town of Wethersfield.
The Human Rights and Relations Commission, with
the assistance of the Fair Housing Officer, shall review the Fair
Housing Plan on a semiannual basis and make recommendations to revise
the Plan when necessary to improve its effectiveness. The documentation
of actions taken and results achieved in the furtherance of fair housing
opportunities in the Town of Wethersfield, as contained in the fair
housing file, shall be utilized to aid in the evaluation process.
