Fair Housing (Housing Discrimination)
Federal, state and local laws promote fair housing and prohibit housing discrimination. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status (pregnant women and adults who have children under 18 years old living with them). The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act prohibits discrimination against the same groups, as well as discrimination on the basis of age, for people aged 40 and older. Local ordinances in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton make it illegal to discriminate because of a person's sexual orientation and gender identity.- A landlord charging a higher security deposit to families with children
- A landlord refusing to assign a handicap parking space to a disabled tenant
- A Realtor requiring a Latino potential homebuyer to prove he is pre-qualified for a mortgage, but not requiring proof from a white potential homebuyer
- A landlord refusing to rent to someone who does not speak English well
- A landlord requiring a tenant to have sex with him in exchanging for making repairs
- A homeowner telling an African-American couple that her house is no longer for sale, but telling a white couple that the house is still on the market
Lehigh County, in cooperation with the Lehigh County Housing Authority, is preparing an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH). The AFH will examine potential areas of discrimination or barriers that might limit housing choices for families and individuals. Lehigh County has selected a planning consulting firm, Urban Design Ventures, LLC, to assist in the preparation of this plan. They need the assistance of local agencies, firms, and non-profit organizations concerned about housing issues in our County to help identify barriers to fair housing choice. There will be two (2) Public Meetings held in Lehigh County to assemble information for the AFH. The first Public Meeting will be held on Monday, June 5, 2017 at 6:00 PM at the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, located at 961 Marcon Boulevard, Suite 310, Allentown, PA 18109. The second Public Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at 4:30 PM at the Whitehall Municipal Building at 3219 MacArthur Rd, Whitehall, PA 18052. A confidential Resident Survey was distributed to the residents of Lehigh County. If you are a resident of Lehigh County and interested in completing a survey, click on either the English or Spanish survey link included below.
Lehigh County – Confidential Survey – English (click here)
The survey is also offered in Spanish for Lehigh County’s Spanish-speaking residents: