By Ashley Richardson, MCJ Director, Housing Law
Imagine being threatened with an eviction because you finally took the proper steps to escape a toxic and dangerous relationship. This is exactly what happened to one of our clients. She had done everything right: she sought help, obtained a protection order, and her partner was removed from the home. Since the rent was based on the tenant’s income and her partner was the primary income earner, the law (Violence Against Women’s Act aka VAWA) required her landlord to recalculate her rent in this situation. This is an action that her landlord did not take.
Instead, over the following months, she received many eviction notices for nonpayment of rent threatening her with homelessness for her, her children, and her unborn child, if she failed to pay rent based on her partner’s income. One of our attorneys stepped in. Her rent was recalculated. She received a monetary settlement. Her children were able to stay home.
Stories like hers are the work the Mississippi Center for Justice does to ensure Mississippians understand the laws and protections they have under the Fair Housing Act, and in this instance VAWA, is so crucial – it can make the difference between being housed or losing everything you have worked for.
The reality is that housing issues – from housing shortages to housing discrimination – are top of mind for Mississippians.
Mississippi faces a shortage of 38,107 rental homes that are both affordable and available to low-income renters. Behind that number are families doubled up in overcrowded apartments, individuals cycling in and out of unstable living situations, and people enduring unsafe conditions because they don’t believe they have any other choice.
Many of them don’t know they have rights. That’s the problem we’re here to solve.
At Mississippi Center for Justice, we work at the intersection of law, community education, and advocacy to make safe and stable housing a reality for all Mississippians. Our work includes:
- Eviction protection and legal representation. When tenants face an eviction, our attorneys fight back to ensure Mississippians remain in stable housing.
- Housing discrimination disputes. Disability-related discrimination is the most common type of housing discrimination we see in Mississippi. We represent clients in challenging all housing discrimination.
- Community education. We run a housing stability and fair housing hotline and go directly into communities to ensure people know what protections the Fair Housing Act provides — before a crisis hits.
- Revitalizing blighted property. We support organizations working to turn empty and neglected properties into stable housing for families.
This April: Know Your Rights
April is Fair Housing Month and throughout the month of April, we’re hosting a series of free virtual events designed for everyone — whether you’ve heard of the Fair Housing Act or are learning about it for the first time. Sessions will cover:
- Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) protections and federal resources and protections for survivors of domestic violence;
- Eviction rights and how a landlord could possible discriminate against someone with an eviction record;
- Disability rights and fair housing — the most frequently violated protections we see; and
- Criminal records and housing: what landlords should take into consideration when renting to a person with a criminal record.
You can register here for these informative sessions.
Here’s How You Can Help
Knowing your rights matters. So does making sure your neighbors know theirs. If you’d like to join our growing community of Mississippians dedicated to making housing a universal right for everyone, here are three ways to take action:
- Become a field tester. We rely on volunteers to help us document housing discrimination in our communities. We have already trained more than a dozen volunteers and want to grow this community. Contact us to learn how you can help uncover unlawful practices that often go unseen.
- Bring us to your community. Request a free housing rights presentation for your neighborhood, congregation, school, or organization. We come to you.
- Attend a virtual event this April. Register for our Fair Housing Month sessions and walk away knowing exactly what the law protects — and what to do if those rights are violated.
Housing is not just about having a roof over your head. It is a safety issue, a health issue, and a dignity issue. Every Mississippian deserves to know their rights and to have someone in their corner when those rights are violated.
This Fair Housing Month, let’s make sure no one faces that fight alone.