Community Corner
Fair Housing and Fair Lending Workshop returns to B1C
The immigrant resource center plans second workshop, following successful housing and lending workshop in January
Building One Community – The Center for Immigrant Opportunity (B1C) will host a Fair Housing and Fair Lending Workshop on Saturday, April 6 from 1-3 pm in partnership with the Connecticut Fair Housing Center. The two organizations first collaborated in January to host a workshop with the goal of educating immigrants on their rights and helping them to identify and report housing discrimination. After receiving a positive response to the January workshop, which was attended by approximately 50 immigrants, B1C and the Connecticut Fair Housing Center announced the second workshop.
Through their partnership, the organizations hope to spread awareness of housing discrimination, which is prominent in Connecticut. Although housing discrimination is illegal in the state, immigrants experience discrimination for their race, national origin, etc. The workshop will help immigrants identify housing discrimination including refusals to rent or sell, misrepresentation of available housing, and discrimination in terms and conditions, and learn how to report it.
Additionally, the workshop will address fair lending to prevent immigrants from becoming easy prey for predatory lenders. Presenters from the Connecticut Fair Housing Center intend to warn attendees of expensive mortgages, as they did in the January workshop, and share alternative lending options.
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In addition to sharing information about fair housing and lending, B1C is also dedicated to teaching English language skills to immigrants since limited English is another barrier for immigrants seeking stable housing. At B1C, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are available during the week in the mornings and evenings and on Saturdays. B1C’s flexible, drop-in classes for adult learners, including free childcare, are designed to allow immigrants with busy work and family responsibilities to attend when their schedules permit. To learn more about B1C’s support services for immigrants, please visit www.building1community.org.
About Building One Community
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Building One Community is a nonprofit organization, established in 2011, that provides a comprehensive resource center for immigrants in the greater Stamford area. The mission of Building One Community is to advance the successful integration of immigrants and their families.
About Connecticut Fair Housing Center
The mission of the Connecticut Fair Housing Center is to ensure that all people have equal access to housing opportunities in Connecticut, free from discrimination. Since 1994, the Connecticut Fair Housing Center has provided free investigative and legal services to residents who believe they have been the victims of housing discrimination. Because housing discrimination disproportionately affects people with low incomes, the center focuses on the intersection of poverty and housing discrimination.
