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Fair Housing Center for Rights and Research outlines complaint intake, testing and outreach for Euclid
Summary
The Fair Housing Center representative described complaint intake and testing, enforcement options and plans for outreach and training in Euclid. The organization did not specify a dollar amount in the presentation but requested continued support for intake, testing and education activities funded in part by HUD and local entitlements.
Carrie Pleasance, representing the Fair Housing Center for Rights and Research, described the nonprofit’s fair‑housing services and the ways the center supports residents and housing providers across Cuyahoga and Lorain counties.
Pleasance said the center offers complaint intake and direct advocacy, investigative testing (paired tester methodology for rental advertising and landlord responses), administrative enforcement and litigation when warranted, research and policy work, trainings for tenants and housing providers, and a voucher mobility program that assists Housing Choice Voucher holders with housing searches.
"Our mission is to protect and expand fair housing rights, eliminate housing discrimination, and promote integrated communities," Pleasance said. She told the committee the center typically receives 1,500–1,600 calls a year (many not fair‑housing matters) and that the number of fair‑housing complaints the center records has varied since 2018; she cautioned that a recent drop in recorded complaints does not necessarily mean discrimination declined and attributed changes to outreach patterns and reporting.
Pleasance described fair‑housing testing methodology (two trained testers with matching characteristics call or visit listings, and coordinators compare the results) and said testing is used to document differential treatment. She also described training and outreach proposals for Euclid including tenant and housing‑provider trainings, tabling at community events and suggested public information materials (brochures, PSAs) for City Hall and community partners.
Committee members asked about complaint trends and capacity; Pleasance said the organization expanded staff and outreach in recent years (from roughly seven staff to about 19), which increased intake capacity. She said the center receives some HUD funding as well as entitlements (CDBG) from municipalities and thanked Euclid for prior support. She did not present a specific dollar amount for the Euclid request during this session.
The Fair Housing Center cited the Fair Housing Act as the governing federal law that guides its enforcement and outreach, and it flagged administrative complaint routes through HUD and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission as typical remedies for alleged discrimination.
