Agenda - Council - 09/10/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City of Ramsey, Minnesota Fair Housing Policy Adopted: September 10, 2019 1. Purpose/Vision Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act establishes federal policy for providing fair housing throughout the United States. The intent of Title VIII is to assure equal housing opportunities for all citizens. Furthermore, the City of Ramsey, as a recipient of Metropolitan Council Livable Communities Funds, is obligated to certify that it will affirmatively further fair housing. The City of Ramsey is committed to meeting this obligation, and has developed this Fair Housing Policy to further that goal. 2. Fair Housing Policy Statement It is the policy and commitment of the City of Ramsey to ensure that fair and equal housing opportunities are granted to all persons in all housing opportunities and development activities funded by the city regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, status with regard to public assistances, familial status, national origin, or disability. This shall be done through strong external policies that provide meaningful access to all constituents and fair housing informational and referral services; and internal practices and procedures do not discriminate and that affirmatively further fair housing. 3. External Practices a. Fair Housing Officer. The City of Ramsey has designated the Community Development Director as the Fair Housing Officer for the City. The Fair Housing Officer will be responsible for the intake, processing, and referral of all fair housing complaints. While not expected to be an "expert" in fair housing laws, at a minimum the Officer will be familiar with state and federal fair housing laws, the complaint process for filing discrimination complaints, and the state and federal agencies that handle complaints. Records showing the date, time and nature of the fair housing complaint, as well as the decisions made regarding the complaint process (referrals, information given, etc.) and any follow up action will be fully documented. The Fair Housing Officer will also monitor city activities affecting fair housing and raise issues and concerns where appropriate. b. Meaningful Access i. Online Information. The City of Ramsey will have information about fair housing and its fair housing officer prominently displayed on its website. The website will also have links to various fair housing resources, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Minnesota Department of Human Rights, Mid- Minnesota Legal Aid, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, and others. The website will also link to state and federal fair housing complaint forms. In addition, the City will post the State of Minnesota's Olmstead Plan and this City of Ramsey Fair Housing Policy. 1