May 15, 2015 | Categories: About FHC, News, Press Release | Tags: Children, civil rights, discrimination, east lansing, Fair Housing Act, familial status, Holt, Ingham County, lansing, Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, Owosso, Shiawassee County, testing
The Fair Housing Center has filed a lawsuit against the owner/operator of several Lansing-area properties.
Check out these links for the full press release and statewide news coverage:
FHC Press Release
Michigan Radio
WNEM Channel 5
WFSB Channel 3 (includes video)
According to the lawsuit, testers posing as a single parent with a young child were told that children were not allowed to live in one-bedroom apartments. By comparison, “Testers without children who inquired about the availability of one-bedroom units for themselves and a spouse were asked to confirm that they did not have children, told that apartments were available, provided additional information about the units, and invited to view the apartments.”
Families with children (under the age of 18) are protected under the Federal Fair Housing Act and the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. If the square footage of a bedroom is large enough for two people, then it is large enough for any two people.