Housing Discrimination
Housing related transactions are considered, renting, buying, selling, obtaining a mortgage or purchasing homeowner’s insurance. Federal and state laws protect individuals to ensure that everyone has equal rights and equal access to housing.
Laws
Agencies
- HUD
- Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME)
- Better Housing Coalition
- Habitat for Humanity
- Project Homes
- Rebuild Together
- Homeward
- EBook for renters (Fair Housing starts on page 39)
- VA Fair Housing Office
- HUD Richmond Field Office
- The Equal Rights Center
- Housing Opportunities Made Equal of VA, Inc.
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Virginia Landlord Tenant Act
- Local Tenant Rights, Laws and Protections: Virginia
Housing Discrimination Offices
- Virginia Fair Housing Office
- The Equal Rights Center
- Arlington, VA Human Rights Committee
- Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia
- US Department of Housing and Urban Development
Advocacy Organizations
Employment Discrimination
Employment Discrimination laws seek to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, and age by employers. Discriminatory practices include bias in hiring, promotion, job assignment, termination, compensation, retaliation, and various types of harassment.
Laws
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) of 1938
- Equal Pay Act of 1963
- Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964
- Age Discrimination and Employment Act of 1967
- Section 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978
- Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
Agencies
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
- Virginia Attorney General – Division of Human Rights
Public Accommodation Discrimination
A public accommodation is a place that offers goods and services to the general public such as a restaurant that is open to the public. Federal and state laws protect designated groups from discrimination in places of public accommodations, based on the premise that everyone is entitled to enjoy the goods and services of the public accommodation on an equal basis.
Laws
- Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Virginia Human Rights Act (Va. Code Ann. §§ 2.2-3900-03)
Agencies
- Office of the Attorney General of Virginia – Division of Human Rights
- The disAbility Law Center of Virginia (dLCV)
- U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
Additional Diversity and Inclusion Resources
National Organizations
Civil Rights Organizations
- Alliance for Justice
- American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
- American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice
- Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
- Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance
- Civil Rights Center
- Council on American-Islamic Relations
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Lambda Legal
- Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
- Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
- NAACP
- National LGBTQ Task Force
- National Organization of Women
- National Urban League
- National Women’s Law Center
- Native American Rights Funds
- Office of Civil Rights
- People for the American Way
- The Anti-Defamation League
- United States Department of Justice
- U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
- U.S. Department of Labor
Disability Organizations
- American Association of People with Disabilities
- American Civil Liberties Union
- American Council of the Blind
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- ARC of the United States
- Autistic Self-Advocacy Network
- Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
- Job Accommodation Network
- Mobility International USA
- National Association of the Deaf
- National Council on Disability
- National Disability Rights Network
State of Virginia Organizations
- Virginia Department of Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Virginia Family Special Education Connection
- Virginia Center For Inclusive Communities
- DARS
Regional and Local Organizations
- Asian American Society of Central Virginia
- Asian and Latino Solidarity Alliance
- Cultural Center of India
- Diversity Richmond
- Filipino American Association of Central Virginia
- Hindu Center of Virginia
- India Association of Virginia
- Islamic Center of Central Virginia
- NAACP Chesterfield Branch
- ReEstablish Richmond
- Side by Side RVA
- Senior Connections
- Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce
Healthcare Discrimination Resources
Laws
Resources
- Health Care and Protected Health Information
- Civil Rights
- Filing a Civil Rights Complaint
- Laws Enforced by the Office for Civil Rights (ORC)
Voting Discrimination Resources
Laws
Resources
Education Discrimination Resources
Laws/Civil Rights
- Laws and Guidance
- Disability Discrimination
- Sex Discrimination
- Race and National Origin Discrimination
Resources
Credit Discrimination
Resources
Local Information for the FBI Richmond Field Office:
Age Discrimination
Resource
Legal Counsel
- Legal Aid Justice Center
- Central Virginia Legal Aid
- The Virginia Lawyer Referral Service
- Henrico County Bar Association
More broadly for Civil Rights & Education
- USDOE Office of Civil Rights
- VDOE State Special Education Complaint System
- Learn Your Rights: A Guide for Youth in Foster Care
General Civil Rights
Henrico Public Safety Resources
