RICHMOND, Va. – U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis hosted a Safe Housing Summit in Richmond on Sept. 16 focused on combatting sexual misconduct, promoting environmental justice, and protecting the civil rights of residents in HUD-assisted housing.
The summit was attended by representatives from a number of organizations, including the Richmond Redevelopment Housing Authority, Virginia Organizing, Community Climate Collaborative, Legal Aid Justice Center, Richmond Tenants Union, Storefront for Community Design, Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative, Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) of Virginia, Virginia Poverty Law Center, Discoverself Fellowship, United Communities Against Crime, and the University of Richmond.
“The Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office play an important role in fulfilling the promise of HUD-assisted housing,” said U.S. Attorney Aber. “We are very pleased to be joined by community groups and residents, providing an opportunity both to listen to their concerns and to share with them information regarding resources and recourse. Our message today is that the law is on your side and assistance is available to you.”
“Along with the strong commitment from U.S. Attorney Aber, community outreach events like we hosted today in Richmond allow HUD OIG to amplify for HUD tenants and applicants seeking housing that they have a right to housing that is void of sexual misconduct, and safe from lead and environmental hazards,” said Inspector General Oliver Davis. “We remain committed to investigating those who risk the health and safety of HUD-assisted families or who victimize vulnerable people receiving HUD assistance with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Participants discussed the Justice Department’s environmental justice enforcement strategy. In particular, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prioritizes cases that will reduce harm to public health and the environment for overburdened and underserved communities, and lead paint is a matter of priority for HUD OIG. Participants discussed the Environmental Protection Agency’s mapping of environmental justice indicators like lead paint across the Eastern District of Virginia.
The event also featured a presentation on combatting sexual harassment in housing through civil and criminal enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. Participants discussed how to identify sexual harassment affecting or impairing housing rights, from quid pro quo demands to a hostile housing environment, and covered various options for enforcing those rights, either privately, through administrative remedies within HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, or via criminal charges. Participants learned about the case of Joseph Centanni, a New Jersey Section 8 landlord who agreed to pay $4.5 million in a civil enforcement action relating to numerous accusations of demands for sexual acts from tenants.
The summit also addressed the enforcement of civil rights laws in housing. The discussion centered on criminal enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits violence or threats of violence on the basis of race or other protected categories to deny a resident’s enjoyment of a housing right, such as leasing or occupying a dwelling. One recent example from the Eastern District of Virginia is the prosecution of David L. Merryman, a landlord in Hampton and Newport News, for fraud, identity theft, and multiple civil rights offenses. In his guilty plea, Merryman admitted to acts of violence and numerous threats to tenants on account of their race. The presentation from the U.S. Attorney’s Office noted that race-based interference with fair housing is the most frequently charged hate crime statute in the United States.
If you have or someone you know has information about environmental hazards and unsafe unit conditions in HUD-assisted housing or you have or someone you know has been a victim of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or sexual exploitation—even if the events occurred years ago—report it to the HUD Office of Inspector General Hotline at 1-800-347-3735 or visit the website at www.hudoig.gov/hotline. You may also file a complaint with HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at https://www.hud.gov/fairhousing/fileacomplaint.
You may also contact the U.S. Department of Justice at 1-844-380-6178 or visit www.civilrights.justice.gov. Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of environmental injustices or housing discrimination may also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (804) 819-5400 or by email at [email protected].