FAIR HOUSING IS YOUR RIGHT!

Consistent and decent housing is a necessity for one’s wellbeing, and you have the right to rent or buy a place to live whether or not you have children, are disabled, come from a particular background or religion, or are LGBTQ. It’s against the law for someone to tell you ‘No!’ for any of those reasons. And it’s against the law even if they pretend it’s for some other reason.

WHAT IS FAIR HOUSING?

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the buying, selling, rental or financing of housing based on race, familial status, national origin, color, disability, sex, religion.

IF YOU THINK YOUR RIGHTS HAVE BEEN VIOLATED, DON’T KEEP QUIET!
You can tell us and we’ll help you file a complaint.
Contact:
Irma Avila, Project Vida Housing Supervisor
(915)465-1191 ext. 204
i.avila@pvida.net

Project Vida has helped people navigate the avenues to address housing discrimination and served as an advocate in various complaint options for over a year and a half. Click on the headings bellow to learn more about several programs for fair housing in El Paso.

_{City of El Paso Fair Housing office}

The Fair Housing Office of the City of El Paso, in addition to coordinating and overseeing the Fair Housing Task Force functions, receives and addresses citizens' reports of possible fair housing discrimination in the City of El Paso. Residents are provided with information to ensure that they know their rights and are protected from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and familial status.

Complaints can be filled through this program though the Fair Housing Officer.

You can tell:
City of El Paso Fair Housing Officer
Jenny Hernandez
801 Texas Ave. 3rd Floor
El Paso, Texas
79901915-212-1651
Hernandezj5@elpasotexas.gov

_{HUD regional office}

You may contact the HUD Regional Office:
Fort Worth Regional Office of FHEO
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
801 North Cherry Street, Unit #45, Suite 2500
Fort Worth, Texas
761021-817-978-5900 (Toll Free)
1-888-560-8913 (TTY) 1-817-978-5595

HUD is ready to help with any problem of housing discrimination. If you think your rights have been violated, you may fill out a Housing Discrimination Complaint Form at the HUD website: https://portalapps.hud.gov/FHEO903/Form903/Form903Start.action. You have one year after an alleged violation to file a complaint with HUD, but you should file it as soon as possible.

WHAT TO TELL HUD:

Your name and address
The name and address of the person your complaint is against (the respondent)
The address or other identification of the housing involved
A short description of the alleged violation (the event that caused you to believe your rights were violated)
The date(s) of the alleged violation