Today, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) reached a settlement in Housing Opportunities Made Equal Inc. (HOME) v. Avant Realty – a lawsuit born out of HOME’s investigation into the company’s real estate practices. The lawsuit and settlement come after HOME alleged Avant Realty limited housing opportunities for Black residents of Buffalo, New York through racial steering, a discriminatory practice where real estate agents or brokers direct people seeking homes into specific neighborhoods based on their race.
While investigating real estate agents in the Buffalo area, HOME found that Avant Realty treated Black people seeking homes differently than their white counterparts. LDF and HOME alleged Avant Realty’s practices were in violation of the Fair Housing Act and New York State Human Rights Law.
As a result of the settlement, HOME will provide additional training to Avant Realty’s staff on fair housing laws and best practices to avoid racial steering. Avant Realty will also adopt a non-discrimination policy and has agreed to ongoing monitoring of its real estate practices by HOME.
“Housing Opportunities Made Equal is satisfied by the amicable resolution of this matter and looks forward to working with Avant Realty and other real estate firms to ensure compliance with fair housing laws,” said Daniel Corbitt, Associate Director of HOME. “In Western New York and throughout our state, homeownership offers an unparalleled opportunity to attain security, stability, and intergenerational wealth. However, significant racial disparities in homeownership persist. We all have a responsibility to eliminate racially discriminatory policies and practices in the residential real estate market, thereby creating a more vibrant and just community for everyone.”
“We are pleased to have reached a settlement with Avant Realty,” said Morenike Fajana, Senior Counsel at LDF. “At LDF, we know that where you live matters and impacts every aspect of your life – from access to good jobs and high-performing schools, to safe streets and access to quality health care. We are grateful to HOME for their years of service dedicated to fair housing, especially the work done to root out differential treatment that forces Black people into under-resourced neighborhoods and blocks them from economic opportunity. Today is a win for the Black residents of Buffalo.”
“While segregation remains an entrenched problem in the Buffalo region, today’s settlement is a step in the right direction,” said Elizabeth Caldwell, Assistant Counsel at LDF. “We are thankful to HOME for their commitment to fighting housing discrimination and their work to uncover and combat racial steering. LDF will continue to work alongside HOME and others to help families find suitable housing, free from discrimination.”
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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.
