Today, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) filed a complaint against Avant Realty alleging that the company engaged in racially discriminatory real estate practices in Buffalo, New York.
The foundation of today’s complaint is a multi-year investigation led by Housing Opportunities Made Equal Inc. (HOME), a nonprofit housing organization. While testing real estate agents in the Buffalo area, HOME found that Avant Realty treated Black people seeking homes differently than their white counterparts. This included offering fewer housing opportunities to Black residents and steering them toward certain neighborhoods. LDF alleges that Avant Realty’s actions violate the Fair Housing Act and New York State Human Rights Law.
“Racial steering in housing is unlawful and is beneficial to no community. It perpetuates segregation, and breeds intolerance, bigotry, and ignorance,” said DeAnna Eason, Executive Director of HOME. “HOME is grateful for the assistance of the Legal Defense Fund in filing this complaint and supporting the enforcement of fair housing laws in Western New York.”
“Racial steering practices in the housing market perpetuate a vicious cycle of segregation in the United States,” said Morenike Fajana, Senior Counsel at LDF. “In addition to severely limiting access to housing, these practices impede the economic stability of Black residents by interfering with access to quality education and employment opportunities. Differential treatment on the basis of race is a clear violation of the Fair Housing Act and New York State Human Rights Law and we hope today’s action will help to highlight and remedy the stark racial disparities in Buffalo.”
“For decades, Black people in Buffalo have been denied the opportunity to access housing in the communities of their choice,” said Elizabeth Caldwell, Assistant Counsel at LDF. “Discriminatory practices by real estate companies undermine the rights of people in the United States to seek and obtain housing without fear of discrimination based on their race. Today’s complaint is an attempt to ensure this right is protected for Black residents of Buffalo.”
Read the filing here.
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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights