Posted Monday, April 12, 2021

20210412 Fair Housing Month

The Fair Housing Month proclamation signed Monday, April 12, 2021, by Huntington Mayor Richard Strick.

HUNTINGTON – To commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the national Fair Housing Act, Mayor Richard Strick signed a proclamation declaring the month of April to be Fair Housing Month in Huntington.

“We all just saw that the strongest teams in March Madness have players that complement each other’s skills and move the ball selflessly to the open shooter," Mayor Strick said. "In a similar way, communities like Huntington are stronger when they make room at the table for all sorts of people that want to make this place home. It’s in that spirit that we recognize the anniversary of the Fair Housing Act and the hard work that still remains for each of us in that regard.”

The federal Fair Housing Act, signed into law on April 11, 1968, has been updated several times over the years to include protections for race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status and national origin.

Monday’s proclamation builds upon the City of Huntington’s commitment to upholding the law, in addition to recognizing the City’s role in providing a framework for future development and ensuring access to accessible housing for all Huntington residents. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Upstate Alliance of Realtors (UPSTAR), which serves much of northeast Indiana including the Fort Wayne and Huntington areas, and Pathfinder Services.

“Fair housing is an essential part of the real estate industry, and we recognize and celebrate the value that diversity and inclusion bring to our thriving community,” UPSTAR Government Affairs Director Todd Titus said.

Pathfinder Services’ HomeOwnership Center helps potential homebuyers – often, families and individuals who face economic challenges and would not otherwise know that homeownership is within their reach – realize their dream of homeownership.

“We work with people through the entire process, from pre-purchase to closing and beyond, giving them the tools they need and the credit education required to allow them to become homeowners,” says Pathfinder President and CEO Danielle Tips.

Tips adds that Pathfinder Services’ HomeOwnership Center has helped 683 families and individuals qualify for direct loans for the purchase of a home in northeast Indiana since July 1, 2016, and 120 first-time home purchases took place through the program last year.

Learn more about Pathfinder’s HomeOwnership Center at pathfinderservices.org/home-ownership.