According to Division Director Craig T. Sashihara, the Division has sent sets of two anti-housing discrimination posters – one in English and one in Spanish – to a total of 560 entities that interact daily with members of the public from all social and economic demographics.
Included among the recipients are public libraries, community colleges, YMCAs, ARC locations, veterans’ centers, Planned Parenthood sites, Jewish Community Centers, Islamic community centers and county hospitals.
“Absolute equality in housing is the law in New Jersey. Individuals who are otherwise eligible renters and buyers have a right to live where they choose and to be treated equally when shopping for a home or seeking rental accommodations,” said Attorney General Porrino. “We are committed to ensuring this fundamental right, and we encourage public facilities, community groups and others across New Jersey to help us by displaying these posters in conspicuous locations.”
The two color posters feature the same photograph – it depicts a young U.S. war veteran of Iraq sitting in a wheelchair outside a brick building with a For Rent sign on the door – and also contain the same message that, “Fair Housing is His Right and Yours!”
“Michael fought oversees for his country and shouldn’t have to fight housing discrimination at home,” the posters assert, while also urging readers to report discrimination at the Division’s web site – NJCivilRights.gov – or by calling the Division’s toll-free number, 866-405-3050.
Division Director Sashihara noted that, while many people understand that both state and federal law prohibit housing discrimination based on race, the general public may not realize the full reach of New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination (LAD), which is widely regarded by lawyers and scholars to be among the most comprehensive state anti-discrimination laws in the country.
Each year, Sashihara said, the Division investigates hundreds of discrimination complaints of all types filed by the public, including many housing complaints. Some examples from 2016 include:
The LAD also bans housing discrimination based on a person’s religion, gender, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, nationality, color, and ancestry.
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