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SECOND ANNUAL FAIR HOUSING

CONFERENCE SUCCESS

Frederick, Md. --- In late April the City of Frederick’s Department of Community Development hosted the second Annual Fair Housing Conference. Mayor Jennifer Dougherty and Fair Housing Commission Chairman, Sharon Suarez, welcomed over 50 participants. Five speakers addressed issues pertinent to fair housing such as Tenant/Landlord Law, Sections 8 Housing and Section 8 Housing from the Landlord’s Perspective.

Stephanie Cornish, a consultant from the Baltimore Neighborhoods, Inc., addressed the topic of Tenant and Landlord Law. Both the lessor and lessee often misunderstand this complex area of the law. Several areas Cornish highlighted were: written leases versus oral, security deposits, and Maryland state law regarding leases. Cornish has been with BNI for six years, most recently serving as Senior Consultant with BNI’s Tenant-Landlord Counseling program. She stressed that Baltimore is currently utilizing the services of mediation counselors in resolving landlord-tenant disputes. Cornish has been trained extensively in tenant and landlord law, and provides Education and Outreach to various groups including Landlords Associations, Tenants Associations, and real estate Agents.

Teresa Justice, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Frederick, and Rachel Raffel, Public Housing Revitalization Specialist with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Baltimore Public Housing Division, provided the attendees an overview of the Section 8 Program. Raffel began the presentation with a history of housing assistance that dates back to 1937. She also delved into responsibilities of the Housing Authority in relation to Section 8 and HQS (Housing Quality Standards). Justice, who has been employed in various capacities of the Housing Authority for 15 years, continued the discussion by providing Section 8 statistics from our community. She reported that 500 families are currently participating in rental assistance programs.

Debbie Williams and Randy Jones, both Section 8 landlords discussed the pros and cons of Section 8 housing from their perspective. Williams, a resident of Frederick County for over 40 years, has almost 25 years experience in the housing rental market and has been associated with Section 8 housing for 15 years. Jones serves as manager of a family portfolio of residential properties for over 21 years. He manages properties in Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., Montgomery and Frederick Counties. He is member of the National Center of Housing Management (NCHM), Certified in Housing Management, Property Management, Maintenance Management and Occupancy Specialist. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Property Owners Association of Greater Frederick (POAGF).

Finally, Lydell Scott, Executive Director of the Frederick County Human Relations Commission, addressed the changing face of our community. Scott cited an Asian population of 3,000, and a Hispanic population nearing 5,000. He stated that the HRC is often the first place potential renters go for information.

The City of Frederick formed the Fair Housing Commission in October 2002. Members include: Sharon Suarez, Fair Housing Commission Chairman, Kaye Gant, Martha Matlick, Virginia Spencer and Nelson Zahler.

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