"Housing Discrimination is much more prevalent in Hawaii`i than people like to believe," says Nalani Fujimori, Fair Housing Education and Outreach Director and Managing Attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii`i Maui County offices. "On a daily basis, people are not shown apartments because they have children, telephone calls are not returned because of heavily accented English and decisions are made not to rent to someone because of their ethnicity and stereotypes about them."

Federal and State Fair Housing laws protect people from being discriminated against on the basis of: race, national origin/ancestry, religion, sex, familial status, disability, age, marital status, HIV infection, and the use of service animals. It is illegal to deny housing, set different terms and conditions on a lease, provide different housing services, or use advertisements that state a preference on one of these basis.

The problem with housing discrimination lies in the fact that many of these experiences are not reported because of the lack of understanding of Housing Discrimination and fair Housing Laws. Likewise, discrimination is often very subtle. In Hawaii`i, our perceptions on race and our "local" style of ethnic teasing, many times downplay our understanding and belief of the reality of discrimination.

The goal of Legal Aid's Fair Housing Education and Outreach Project is to educate the community about fair housing rights and responsibilities and to raise awareness of Housing Discrimination. Staff members will provide training to community groups, social service providers, housing agencies and providers, government agencies, faith-based organizations and anyone else interested in learning more about their rights. The Education and Outreach Project offers workshops and trainings free of charge and may be contacted at 527-8052 or via e-mail at jedelac@lashaw.org.

Legal Aid's Fair Housing Enforcement Program serves as a point of contact for anyone who has either been victimized by Housing Discrimination or who would like advice on how to not discriminate against a protected class. The Enforcement Program provides answers to Fair Housing questions, advice and counseling, information and resources, and may help to file a complaint with the Hawaii`i Civil Rights Commission or the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Enforcement Program can be reached at 527-FAIR or 1-866-527-FAIR.

Contact:     Jessica DelaCruz
Phone:       (808) 527-8052
E-mail:       jedelac@lashaw.org