from staff
Last month, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid celebrated Fair Housing month and the 40th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Advocacy Center (FHAC) of JALA attended several events to mark the occasion.
The Bradford County Strawberry Festival took place April 19 and 20 and gave the FHAC the opportunity to meet and speak with the many people who came out to enjoy the festival. The next big event was the Sixth Annual Fair Housing Symposium, which took place April 26. The Symposium was hosted by the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission in partnership with JALA. According to JALA attorney Catherine Rotchford, Fair Housing information was distributed, furniture was raffled away and everyone who attended got lunch.
There were a variety of workshops covering topics ranging from predatory lending to an update on Fair Housing laws. A formal lunch was provided free of charge to those who registered early. In an effort to publicize the event, JALA hosted a phone bank April 23 on local television o discuss Fair Housing issues and to encourage attendance at the April 26 main event.
Rotchford said overall the FHAC was very pleased with the great turnout for the Fair Housing Month events and the opportunity to educate the public about their rights under Fair Housing laws. These events are made possible by the generous support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).