Do feelings violate Oregon discrimination laws?

Oregon Faith Report News Note:

An Ashland family with two toddlers has raised an interesting question on how far reaching Oregon anti-discrimination housing laws go.  At the center of the debate is an Ashland family with kids who are renting out a cottage behind their house.  The law says they must accept the first qualified person.   It appears that personal feelings could manifest greater problems with the law.  This comes on the heels of a local study showing discrimination occurring in Ashland.   Hannah Guzik of the Ashland Daily Tidings reports.

“..According to fair housing laws, the Campbells are required to select the first qualified renter who applies for the $600-a-month cottage, said Moloy Good, executive director of the Fair Housing Council of Oregon.”Landlords need to not discriminate,” he said. “There are no exceptions, even the ‘I had an icky feeling’ one.”

Since the results of a housing council study conducted in Ashland were announced to the public last week, many residents have expressed outrage at the high rate of discrimination cited in the study.

Mayor John Stromberg has called on residents to learn about fair housing laws and reduce discrimination in Ashland. State and federal fair housing laws prohibit discriminating against someone based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, familial status, national origin, marital status and source of income.  But following fair housing laws — which do not allow landlords to handpick tenants — can, at times, be challenging, several Ashland landlords said…” Continue reading the whole article here


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