Newsletter Summer 2011 - Fair Housing Council

FAIR HOUSING KEYS
THE NEWSLETTER OF WISCONSIN’S FAIR HOUSING COUNCIL AND ITS SATELLITE OFFICES
Collaboration makes UW – milWaUkee dorm more aCCessible
The Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing
Council (MMFHC) has successfully
collaborated with the City of Milwaukee to
improve housing accessibility for persons
with disabilities.
During the course of an investigation into
the accessibility of newly-constructed
housing, MMFHC discovered that there
was no curb cut directly in front of a new
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
(UWM) dormitory called Riverview.
Instead of being able to enter the building
directly from the street or an adjacent
parking lot, dormitory residents or visitors
with mobility impairments could access the
sidewalk that leads to the dorm’s entrance
only at the ends of the block, considerable
distances away from the dorm. The
distance posed a problem at any time of
year, but would do so even more during
snowy Wisconsin winters.
Riverview dormitory is owned by UWM,
but the sidewalk, curb area and parking
lot are City of Milwaukee property, so
MMFHC worked with City staff to remedy
the problem. MMFHC staff and MMFHC
General Counsel Katherine Charlton
met with Milwaukee’s Chief Planning
and Developments Engineer, Michael
Loughran, at Riverview in October 2010.
MMFHC staff and Charlton pointed out
how difficult it could be for a person
with a mobility impairment to enter the
building, and described what kind of curb
cut would be optimal for creating access
to the dormitory. Loughran agreed, and
the City of Milwaukee created a curb
cut directly in front of Riverview within 6
weeks of meeting with MMFHC.
“This shows how private agencies like
MMFHC and public entities can work
together to further the common good in
our communities,” notes MMFHC President
and CEO William R. Tisdale. “We’re
glad that the City of Milwaukee took its
responsibility to residents with disabilities
so seriously.”
to learn more about fair housing and mmFHC’s part in creating an equal housing market,
visit www.fairhousingwisconsin.com or call 414.278.1240.
Summer 2011

METROPOLITAN MILWAUKEE FAIR HOUSING COUNCIL FAIR HOUSING KEYS — SUMMER 2011
“ I didn’t want to admit to
myself that I had been
scammed. Even though
they might be alert and
careful, all borrowers
should seek free help
from nonprofit mortgage
counseling agencies.”
— Judith Volovsek
mortgage resCUe sCams resolved:
CoUnCil Helps borroWers
Like millions of Americans, Judith Volovsek and Judie Papadakis faced problems making
mortgage payments and feared losing their homes. They sought the help of companies
that advertised easy and effective ways to help them. Unfortunately, these companies were
mortgage rescue scam operations, which took their money, but took no action to help
them. But with the help of private and public agencies, both women were able to recover
thousands of dollars they had almost lost to these scammers.
Judith Volovsek, a Franklin resident with spine and vision disabilities, contacted a company
called Legal Helpers for help modifying her home mortgage loan. She hoped that Legal
Helpers would convince her lender to lower her interest rate and monthly payments.
Volovsek was not yet behind on her mortgage payments, but her income had dropped and,
because she has multiple physical disabilities that prevent her from working, her income
was unlikely to increase in the future. Renegotiating her loan would allow her to keep her
home and make her mortgage payments on time. She paid Legal Helpers $2400 up front
for this assistance. But during multiple telephone conversations, Legal Helpers staff told
Volovsek that they had not yet contacted the lender, because they needed more paperwork
from her, including paperwork that she had already sent them. Even after Volovsek sent
Legal Helpers all of the documents they requested, Legal Helpers did not contact her lender
or attempt to help her modify her home loan.
Volovsek contacted the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council (MMFHC) for help
in September 2010. MMFHC investigated the case and helped Volovsek file a complaint
with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) the following month. Following
intervention by DFI, Volovsek was notified by her bank that $2400 has been deposited
into her account by Legal Helpers in February 2011. Volovsek, who is now working with
MMFHC to get a modification on her mortgage loan, commented on the refund, “I didn’t
want to admit to myself that I had been scammed. Even though they might be alert and
careful, all borrowers should seek free help from nonprofit mortgage counseling agencies.”
A second case involves Judie Papadakis, a single mother who has resided in the same
home in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood for over two decades. She was struggling
to make timely mortgage payments and had fallen behind when, as a State of Wisconsin
employee, she was furloughed one day a week. The resulting drop in her income caused
her to fall further behind. Papadakis turned to MI Solutions/First Asset Relief Center, a
company in Houston that claimed that they could work with her home mortgage lender
and get her a lower interest rate and monthly payment. Based on their promises, she paid
them $1050. A representative of MI Solutions/First Asset Relief Center told Papadakis
that while they were working on her case, she did not have to make any mortgage
payments to her lender. Papadakis later found out that her home mortgage lender had
never been contacted by MI Solutions/First Asset Relief Center, and the lender notified
her that they considered her loan to be delinquent. Afraid that she was going to lose
her home, Papadakis contacted MMFHC in September 2010. MMFHC investigated the
case and helped Papadakis file a complaint with DFI last November. DFI discovered that
MI Solutions/First Asset Relief Center wasn’t licensed in Wisconsin, and contacted the
company to demand that it repay Papadakis and cease activity in Wisconsin. In February,
Papadakis received a check for $150 from MI Solutions/First Asset Relief Center, with a
promise that the company would continue to make a payment to her every month until the
entire $1050 they had taken was repaid.
Bethany Sanchez, Director of MMFHC’s Fair Lending Program, notes that “financially
strapped homeowners should know that they do not have to pay money for help with
obtaining loan modifications or foreclosure prevention. If homeowners feel they have
been scammed, they should contact the Fair Housing Council at 414-278-1240 for free,
confidential assistance.”
MMFHC services provided to mortgage rescue scam victims are supported by a grant from
US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
mmFHC Files disCrimination Complaint against WaUkesHa CoUnty
The Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council (MMFHC) has
filed a complaint with the US Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) alleging that Waukesha County has engaged
in illegal housing discrimination on the basis of race, color and
national origin, and that the County has violated HUD’s mandate
to affirmatively further fair housing.
In order to receive federal funds, including CDBG and HOME
dollars, Waukesha County must certify to HUD that it analyzes
impediments to fair housing and takes action to overcome
identified impediments. MMFHC’s complaint alleges that the
County has failed to comply with its
own civil rights certifications and has
continued funding local governments
whose laws and policies perpetuate
racial and ethnic segregation. Since
2006, MMFHC alleges, more than
$12,500,000 in federal CDBG and
HOME funds has been deployed to 35
individual jurisdictions without adequate
consideration for its impact on fair
housing choice by people of color.
The complaint alleges that the
County funding policy has the effect
of perpetuating racial and ethnic
segregation. Specifically, by continuing to fund jurisdictions – like
New Berlin, Brookfield, Menomonee Falls, the City of Waukesha,
Mukwonago and others – that have actively prevented the
development of affordable housing, the County discourages
integration of mostly-white communities.
MMFHC alleges that Waukesha County’s deliberate actions to
limit housing development contribute to racial segregation, in
that the County and several of its municipalities have blocked
the development of affordable housing in order to avoid the
effect such housing would have on majority white communities,
to learn more about Fair Housing
and mmFHC’s part in creating
an equal housing market, visit
www.fairhousingwisconsin.com
or call 414.278.1240
where it would be perceived to promote integration on the basis
of race, color and national origin. The Milwaukee – Waukesha
metropolitan area is the most segregated region in the nation
for African-Americans and in the top third of large metropolitan
areas for residential segregation of Hispanics. While Milwaukee
County’s population is racially and ethnically diverse, Waukesha
County’s population is starkly homogeneous. Nearly every
community in Waukesha County is at least 95% white. A number
of Waukesha County municipalities did not include a single
African-American in recent census counts.
“Communities do not become and
remain all-white by accident. They get
that way and stay that way because
local governments and private actors
erect barriers to racial and ethnic
integration,” said William R. Tisdale,
MMFHC’s President and CEO. “The
only reason the County and local
governments are getting these federal
housing funds is because they have
promised to counteract these forces.
Our complaint shines a bright light on
their misrepresentations over the past
five years.”
MMFHC filed the complaint after several years of working with
a coalition of organizations including the ACLU of Wisconsin,
Legal Action of Wisconsin, IndependenceFirst, Disability Rights
Wisconsin, and Pledl & Cohn, S.C., all of which have a shared
goal of increasing housing opportunities throughout Southeastern
Wisconsin. Each of these organizations, individually and in
concert, has made attempts to promote integration and affordable
housing opportunities in Waukesha County. Given the institutional
barriers posed by County government and detailed in the HUD
complaint, however, coalition members’ efforts were stymied.

METROPOLITAN MILWAUKEE FAIR HOUSING COUNCIL FAIR HOUSING KEYS — SUMMER 2011
slaCk UlriCH retires
From mmFHC board
After serving on MMFHC’s Board of Directors for 28 years,
Slack Ulrich has retired from active service to the organization.
He served for many years as the Board’s Secretary, as its
Treasurer and on multiple Board committees. He also served
as a volunteer tester, and represented the Council at public
hearings and community gatherings.
“It’s impossible to express how important Slack’s guidance
has been in the development of this organization,” says
William R. Tisdale, President and CEO. “He’s a man of quiet
thoughtfulness, of great integrity and wisdom. He has been
our rudder, helping us steer a practical path to our goals. He
has been our organization’s historian and archivist, helping us
understand where we’ve been and where we have to go.”
Ulrich’s contributions are held in high regard by his fellow
volunteers, too. Richard Strode, who served with Ulrich
for many years on the MMFHC Board, says, “Slack Ulrich
is disciplined, precise and analytical, with a dry sense of
humor. He modeled the leadership that other board members
emulated. His perspective and wise counsel kept MMFHC from
being ‘bedeviled by the details.’”
The entire MMFHC family wishes Slack Ulrich well in his future
endeavors.
mmFHC staFFer reCeives 2011 “Forty
Under 40” aWard For leadersHip
Kori Schneider Peragine has been recognized as one of
the Business Journal “Forty Under 40,” a prestigious award
bestowed upon up-and-coming community leaders in
metropolitan Milwaukee. Despite her youth, Schneider Peragine
has been a longtime leader on housing justice issues in our
region.
Schneider Peragine is Senior Administrator of the Metropolitan
Milwaukee Fair Housing Council (MMFHC) Inclusive
Communities Program. In that role, she works with local
governments, advocacy groups and other stakeholders to ensure
that public policies promote equal housing opportunity, as well
as racial and economic integration.
April Hartman of Legal Action of Wisconsin, who nominated
Schneider Peragine for the award, wrote in her nomination
that “Ms. Schneider Peragine has been fighting to improve
fair housing opportunities in the Milwaukee region for more
than a decade. She is one of the original members of the
Milwaukee Housing Coalition, she serves on various boards
and committees, including the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional
Planning Commission’s Environmental Justice Task Force, the
University of Wisconsin -Milwaukee Urban Planning Alumni
Association, and she has served on the housing advisory
committees for Washington, Ozaukee and Waukesha
Counties. Independent of her work at MMFHC, she also
works to improve her own neighborhood of Riverwest, in
Milwaukee. She is an amazing and energetic professional,
and Milwaukee benefits greatly from her sense of fairness and
civic duty.” Karyn Rotker of the ACLU also nominated Schneider
Peragine, noting that her hard work on behalf of fair housing
has been especially valuable because Southeastern Wisconsin
is a highly segregated region.
“I couldn’t be more proud
of Kori,” says William
R. Tisdale, President
and CEO of the Fair
Housing Council. “She
has a rare combination
of abilities: she can
bring people together
and build consensus,
she understands the
connection of big
socioeconomic forces to
individual families’ lives,
and she works with great
persistence and resolve to
achieve real results.”
ORTY UNDER 40
This funding from
HUD will support
MMFHC’s work to
educate housing
consumers about
illegal housing
discrimination,
predatory lending,
mortgage rescue
scams and other
illegal lending
activities.
CoUnCil reCeives neW HUd grant
MMFHC has been awarded a new
eighteen-month grant through the US
Department of Housing and Urban
Development’s Fair Housing Initiatives
Program (FHIP). This is MMFHC’s 22nd
successful application for a FHIP grant,
which are awarded through a highly
competitive national process. This funding
from HUD will support MMFHC’s work to
educate housing consumers about illegal
housing discrimination, predatory lending,
mortgage rescue scams and other illegal
lending activities. Grant activities will
be conducted in Milwaukee County as
well as Fond du Lac, Jefferson, Kenosha,
Racine, Rock, Sheboygan and Walworth
Counties, which are outside MMFHC’s
usual service areas. MMFHC designed
the grant to meet the needs of these outof-service
area locations because they
have each experienced sharply rising
foreclosure rates, leaving them vulnerable
to the actions of unscrupulous lenders and
foreclosure rescue scams.
As part of the grant, MMFHC will partner
with housing counseling agencies, social
service agencies, faith-based groups,
job-training agencies and community
organizations. MMFHC will provide
comprehensive educational services to
these groups, and together MMFHC and
its partners will identify illegal practices
in local markets and expedite referrals
to MMFHC, HUD or other administrative
agencies.

METROPOLITAN MILWAUKEE FAIR HOUSING COUNCIL FAIR HOUSING KEYS — SUMMER 2011
tisdale appointed to state advisory Committee
oF Us Commission on Civil rigHts
William R. Tisdale, head of the
Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing
Council (MMFHC) for nearly 30 years,
has been appointed a member of the
Wisconsin State Advisory Committee
(WSAC) to the United States Commission
on Civil Rights.
As part of his two-year appointment
to the WSAC, Tisdale will help inform
the United States Commission on Civil
Rights about civil rights issues pertaining
to race, color, religion, sex, national
origin, age, disability, voting rights
and the administration of justice. The
Commission is an independent, bipartisan
agency created by Congress in 1957 to
investigate voting rights complaints, collect
information about discrimination, evaluate
federal policies and laws that relate to
civil rights, and educate the public about
civil rights issues.
This appointment is a continuation
of Tisdale’s long involvement in the
national fair housing movement. Since
the beginning of his employment with
MMFHC, Tisdale has offered his time and
expertise to other organizations, often
ensuring that fair housing matters are
included in any discussion of equal rights.
“Too often, I encounter the belief that
housing discrimination is a rare or isolated
occurrence,” says Tisdale. “In reality,
illegal acts of housing discrimination
harm millions of Americans every year,
damaging every community in the nation.”
Tisdale’s past service includes
appointments to state and national
advisory boards including the Federal
Home Loan Bank of Chicago, the
Wisconsin Real Estate Board, the
Wisconsin Legislative Council’s Special
Committee on Fair Housing and US
Congresswoman Gwen Moore’s Advisory
Committee on Housing. He has also
provided technical assistance on the
enforcement of fair housing laws to the
US Department of Housing and Urban
Development, the US Department of
Justice and the Urban Institute. In addition,
Tisdale is also an occasional contributor
to academic journals in the fields of
civil rights and urban development,
and has collaborated with leading
academic researchers such as Prof.
Gregory Squires of George Washington
University to promote understanding of
systemic discrimination in the lending
and sales markets. In 1988, Tisdale was
the founding president of the National
Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), and was
active on NFHA’s Board until 2002. In
2008, Tisdale was awarded the National
Community Reinvestment Coalition’s
National Community Reinvestment Award
in recognition of his local, regional and
national leadership on fair housing.
Help make yoUr CommUnity inClUsive!
Did you know that the Fair Housing Council is a membership-based organization?
Visit www.fairhousingwisconsin.com today and become a member. Your support
will help make your community a better place for all residents.
MMFHC NEWS & NOTES
ContaCt inFormation
metropolitan milwaukee Fair Housing Council
600 E. Mason Street, Suite 200
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: 414-278-1240 • Fax: 414-278-8033
Predatory Lending Hotline: 414-278-9190
Fair Housing Center of greater madison
600 Williamson Street, Suite L4
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: 608-257-0853
Fax: 608-257-1455
Fair Housing Center of northeast Wisconsin
4650 W. Spencer Street, Suite 2
Appleton, WI 54914
Phone: 920-560-4620 • Fax: 920-560-4621
Toll-free statewide complaint intake line: 1-877-647-FAIR (3247)
[for use outside the 414 area code]
Predatory lending hotline: 414-278-9190
WWW.FAIRHOUSINGWISCONSIN.COM