Housing discrimination is common, yet most people remain unaware of its prevalence. Equal housing opportunity – the idea that all people should have equal access to all the housing they can afford – is still an elusive dream for many Dane County residents.
Fair housing laws make it illegal for housing providers to discriminate based on race, sex, age, national origin, disability, family status, student status, sexual orientation, and other protected characteristics. Housing discrimination is often subtle and difficult to detect. In many instances, people leave an interaction with a housing provider unaware that they have been treated differently than someone else because of their race, because they have kids, or because they have a disability.
If you think you may have been illegally denied housing on the basis of your race, national origin, sex, familial status, disability, age, lawful source of income, sexual orientation, or another characteristic, please contact the Fair Housing Center of Greater Madison at (608) 257-0853 or call a toll-free statewide complaint intake hotline at 1-877-647-FAIR (3247). For more information, please see the Fair Housing Center’s website.
The Fair Housing Center of Greater Madison also provides educational presentations to neighborhood groups, social service agencies, religious congregations, and others about fair housing law and illegal housing discrimination. For more information on fair housing presentations, please call 608-257-0853.