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Office of Human Rights reports new fair‑housing testing and says two investigator vacancies hamper workload
Summary
The county’s Office of Human Rights said it conducted 65 fair‑housing tests across four alleged bases this year and currently has five FTEs with two investigator vacancies; staff said they expect a testing report within weeks and want to expand outreach and training.
Gurjeet Sheema, director of Arlington County’s Office of Human Rights, briefed the County Board on the office’s investigations, training and recent fair‑housing testing during the March 13 work session.
Sheema said the office has five FTEs but is operating with two investigator vacancies; those positions have been open since about May 2024. The office said vacancies complicate its ability to handle intake, investigations and community education in a timely fashion and that recruiting qualified investigators — who must produce written determinations and have specialized investigative skills — has been challenging.
Sheema described a recent fair‑housing testing project conducted by the Equal Rights Center under a county contract. The tests covered 65 instances across 56 properties and looked at several protected bases: source of income, disability, familial status (households with children), and national origin. Office staff said the contractor recommended broader testing and additional outreach; Sheema said the office would release the full testing report in the coming weeks and is planning targeted training and education for larger landlords and property managers.
The office also described internal EEO responsibilities, its role as a Fair Employment Practices Agency (work share agreement with the EEOC) and ongoing training plans, including new manager‑level EEO refresher courses. Sheema asked the board for continued support to ensure adequate staffing to perform investigations, enforcement and community outreach.
Why it matters: fair housing enforcement is a county responsibility under the local ordinance and a key protection for residents who use vouchers or have disabilities; staff signaled a particular interest in educating landlords about source‑of‑income protections and other tenant rights.
Ending: staff said they would finalize and circulate the Equal Rights Center testing report in the coming weeks and requested support to fill two investigator vacancies and to fund expanded fair‑housing outreach and training.
