For Immediate Release:
June 30, 2003

Contact: Lisa Haywood 202/466-3434

(Washington, DC) - To combat widespread housing discrimination - both blatant and subtle acts - the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund (LCCREF), the sister organization of the nations leading civil rights coalition, has launched a year-long campaign to inform renters and homebuyers about insidious forms of exclusion, ranging from linguistic profiling during telephone contacts to barring families with children from housing opportunities.

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund (LCCREF), joined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), has unveiled a multi-media campaign with the Ad Council that begins July 1. English and Spanish print, radio and television spots aim to educate people about their legal rights under the Federal Fair Housing Act.

"Housing discrimination is a pervasive problem nationwide. It is also severely under-reported," reveals Karen McGill Lawson, LCCREF executive director. "It is sometimes blatant, sometimes subtle, but always an insidious act that bars home seekers from opportunities to live where they choose because of their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability. We hope our campaign sends a signal to those who discriminate, but more importantly we want victims of discrimination to know that there is redress."

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that more than two million instances of housing discrimination occur each year, but fewer than one percent are reported. In order to effectively combat housing discrimination, renters and homebuyers must know their rights and how to spot illegal behavior by landlords or realtors.

"It is difficult to fight housing discrimination without being armed with information," explains Shanna Smith, NFHA president. "This campaign is vitally important because it empowers people who are unaware that they have been victims of housing discrimination with facts on what to look for and then how to respond."

In partnership with the Ad Council and New York advertising firm Merkley Newman Harty, the LCCREF team developed a series of captivating spots that carry the tagline, "Fair housing. It's not an option. It's the law." The print and long-formatted broadcast spots include information on reporting a housing discrimination complaint. A hotline telephone number is included to help facilitate immediate responses for people who believe they are victims of discrimination.

Distribution of the spots is accompanied by the launch of a companion website, www.fairhousinglaw.org that includes extensive background information. The spots will be distributed to television, radio and print media outlets with a background information kit that is also being made available for NFHA affiliates and other LCCREF partners. Descriptions and scripts for the PSAs are also available.

For more information or to receive a PSA package, contact Lisa Haywood at 202/466-3434.