Austin Equity & Inclusion details fair housing protections, complaint process and recent case outcomes
Enrique Serrano of Austin Equity & Inclusion told the commission about reasonable accommodations and modifications under fair housing law, how the office handles complaint intake and investigation, and reported 43 cases in the HUD performance period with $42,714 in conciliation relief and public‑interest remedies.
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Enrique Serrano, civil rights officer for the City of Austin’s Equity and Inclusion Department, presented the city’s fair housing and disability rights work, defining disability under the Fair Housing Act and distinguishing reasonable accommodations (policy changes) from reasonable modifications (physical changes to property). "Fair housing essentially is a basic right that everyone has," Serrano said as he walked commissioners through protected transactions and common complaint types such as denial of reasonable accommodations or inappropriate questioning by housing providers.
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