Press Release from: IOWA CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9-21-95

Contact Person: Don Grove, Executive Director, 515-281- 8084

Iowa Civil Rights Commission Conducts Housing Tests in Manchester

On August 17 and 18, 1995 the Iowa Civil Rights Commission (Commission) conducted 16 housing tests in the City of Manchester, Iowa. The tests showed 4 possible violations of state and federal antidiscrimination laws.

The Commission has tested 17 communities under the current testing program. In these tests the Commission evaluated whether race, presence of children and disability affected the availability of units, caused different treatment of applicants, or was the reason some applicants were discouraged from applying. The testers contacted landlords and realtors by phone and in person to inquire about the availability of housing.

One test showed possible different treatment of renters because of the presence of children. In this case the apartment manager told the tester that families were placed in the apartments in the rear of the complex; The manager told the tester, "the building that I showed you doesn't have any children in it. Some buildings there are children. So I try to keep the, you know, couples and senior citizens in one group and all the childrens [sic] in another group." The manager added, "I made a mistake when I first started working here. I put 2 teenage boys and a little girl in one apartment and in back of them I put a single lady and that was a mistake."

Federal law, specifically 24 C.F.R. § 100.70(c)(4), prohibits a landlord or owner from restricting families with children from certain areas of a housing complex or from certain floors.

A second test showed possible different treatment because of the disability of the tester. In this case the tester inquired about making modifications to the house to allow access for his wheelchair. The owner told the tester this would be a problem. Fair Housing Law allows tenants to make modifications to their rental units, at their own expense, to accommodate their disability.

The cities tested to date include Altoona, Anamosa, Ankeny, Cherokee, Clive, Coralville, Estherville, Grinnell, Knoxville, Le Mars, Manchester, Maquoketa, Nevada, Sioux Center, Sioux City, Spencer and Storm Lake. The results so far indicate 55 possible violations out of 295 tests.