Pensacola human relations director outlines caseload, outreach and plans to expand fair-housing training

Al Henderson, executive director of the Pensacola Human Relations Commission, told the Pensacola City Council at a workshop that his office handled 97 families (388 individuals) last year and has expanded outreach and casework since adding staff.

Henderson said the commission now has three full-time staff and one part-time staff member and that the office tracks incoming calls, complaints and outcomes to measure impact. He told council members that last year 20 complaints rose to the level of discrimination; the commission referred 16 of those cases to partner agencies such as the Florida Commission on Human Relations and HUD and handled four in-house. For employment-related matters he reported 20 complaints this year, referring 11 and resolving six in-house.

Those figures form part of a quarterly report Henderson said he will share with council members by email. "We track how many families we've served," Henderson said. "Last year we had 97 families we serve. That equates to 388 actual individuals or family members." He added the office has seen a rise in calls after outreach events and that bringing an…