Iowa Civil Rights Commission to Hold Fair Housing Forum

The Iowa Civil Rights Commission will be conducting a public forum in Marshalltown on Wednesday, August 26, from 5-7 PM at the Marshalltown Public Library, 105 West Boone Street, Rooms A and B. The purpose of the forum will be to offer residents the opportunity to comment on the status of fair housing in Marshalltown and surrounding communities , to discuss any barriers people face, to discuss how best to prevent any future discrimination, and to address the most pressing obstacles. Fair housing means all persons have equal opportunity to be considered for rental units, purchase of property, housing loans, property insurance, or other housing services without regard for race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, mental disability, physical disability, and familial status (presence of children).

The forum will ask residents to address the following two questions:

1. Are people in Marshalltown or surrounding communities discriminated against in housing because of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, familial status (presence of children in the home), or religion?

2. If so, what can the community do to prevent future discrimination?

Comments regarding these questions can be presented orally or in written form at the public forum or submitted to Anna McGlaun at anna.mcglaun@iowa.gov or by regular mail c/o Iowa Civil Rights Commission, 400 E. 14^th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319.

In conjunction with the public forum, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission is conducting an online survey for all Iowa residents regarding fair housing. The online survey can be accessed via the Iowa Civil Rights Commission’s website: www.state.ia.us/government/crc. This short survey will be available (on-line) through August 31, 2009, and should only take about five minutes.

Comments from the public forums will be summarized and the results of the survey will be tabulated and placed on the Iowa Civil Rights Commission website, along with the full report of the analysis of Fair Housing in Iowa. The Commission has been contracted by the Iowa Department of Economic Development to meet this federal requirement to determine the status of fair housing and to recommend ways to address any identified areas of concern. The next forum is planned for Storm Lake on August 27.