Webinar

NFHTA Forum | Combating Housing-Related Harassment and Hate Crimes Against the AANHPI Community
October 20, 2021 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT
Online
Description
Allan Lazo, Executive Director, Fair Housing Council of Oregon
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a host of acts of harassment and violence against the Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. Many of these acts have occurred in a housing setting and represent potential violations of the Fair Housing Act. The National Fair Housing Training Academy (NFHTA) and the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) hosted a public forum focused on providing information about the recent nature and extent of harassment and violence against the AANHPI community; outlining the potential mental health consequences of such actions; specifying how harassment and hate crimes may violate fair housing laws; and providing strategies and tools that fair housing practitioners and attorneys can utilize to investigate and combat harassment and hate crimes against the AANHPI community. Around 450 fair housing partners joined us in this important conversation.
Overview
- Welcome from moderator, Cashauna Hill, Executive Director at the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center
- Remarks by David Enzel, General Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, HUD
- Remarks by Demetria McCain, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, HUD
- Remarks from the Biden-Harris Administration by Erika Moritsugu, Deputy Assistant to the President and Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Senior Liaison
- Introduction of moderator, Chang Chiu, Special Policy Advisor, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, HUD
- Introduction of panelists:
- Seema Agnani, Executive Director, National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
- Allan Lazo, Executive Director, Fair Housing Council of Oregon
- Charles Evans, Supervising Attorney, Asian Americans Advancing Justice
- Presentation and discussion by panelists on:
- Nature and extent of harassment and hate crimes against the AANHPI community
- Mental health effects of harassment and hate crimes on the AANHPI community
- Legal standards to establish harassment or hate crimes as a fair housing violation
- How to improve cultural competency when working with the AANHPI community
- How local organizations can address effectively harassment and hate crimes
- How to investigate housing-related harassment and hate crimes
- Question and answer session moderated by Mr. Chiu
A video of the forum has been posted on this page, along with a transcript of the conversation and a robust resources list for your continued reference.
Learning Objectives
Forum participants will:
- Identify the incidence and types of harassment and violence against the AANHPI community, especially housing-related
- Understand the mental health effects of harassment and hate crimes
- Understand the legal standards for cases alleging Fair Housing Act harassment and hate crimes
- Recognize resources to assist persons in the AANHPI community
- Discover tools to investigate harassment in a residential setting
Audience
This forum is targeted to Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) organizations, Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) agencies, legal services providers, agencies that provide services to the AANHPI community, housing providers, and other interested fair housing partners.
Materials
Date Published: May 20, 2021
A collaborative report between Stop AAPI Hate and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum that discusses recent increases in violence and discrimination toward Asian American and Pacific Islander Women and Girls.
Date Published: May 6, 2021
A report that incident reports to Stop AAPI Hate from March 19, 2020 to March 31, 2021. This report shows an increase in hate incidents, with sharp increases in verbal harassment and civil rights violations.
Stop AAPI Hate Mental Health Report
Date Published: May 27, 2021
This report discusses the findings of several research projects that explored the effects of anti-Asian racism on mental health among Asian Americans during the pandemic. The report found that one in five Asian Americans who have experienced racial discrimination are left with psychological and emotional harm.
Coronvirus/COVID-19 Resources to Stand Against Racism
Date Published: March 23, 2021
A list of resources to combat anti-Asian American racism and is helpful for referring fair housing clients to additional resources to address hate crimes.
Date Published: March 5, 2021
Press release that reviews a DOJ listening session held as part of its efforts to deter hate crimes and other unlawful acts against the AAPI community. The release also details DOJ's current and future plans to address this pressing issue.
NFHA has joined Communities Against Hate, a national initiative to document stories and respond to incidents of violence, threats, and property damage motivated by hate in the United States. FHIP and FHAP practitioners should encourage aggrieved parties with allegations of hate crimes to report immediately to local law enforcement and 1-844-9-NO-HATE.
Communities Against Hate is a diverse coalition coming together for the first time across communities to document hate and demand action. If you or an aggrieved party experienced hate, or saw it happen, you can report it using this reporting tool.
Hollaback Bystander Intervention Training
A training that reviews how individuals can help protect neighbors and co-workers when bias and harassment occur in front of them.
Remarks from the Biden-Harris Administration

Erika Moritsugu
Deputy Assistant to the President and Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Senior Liaison
Biden-Harris Administration
FHEO Leadership Remarks

Demetria McCain
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, HUD

Live Roundtable



Seema Agnani
Executive Director
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
Panelist


About the Forums
Forums are online conversations designed to allow multi-directional interactions between HUD and its FHIP and FHAP partners around emerging fair housing issues regarding processing complaints, conducting investigations, and managing agencies. Topics will evolve based on partner needs and interests.
Disclaimer: The National Fair Housing Forum webinar series provides training by and to HUD partners, including entities and persons participating in HUD's FHAP Program and FHIP Program. The series offers multidirectional idea sharing in real-time. The views offered by speakers and participants do not necessarily reflect HUD's views. Similarly, unless otherwise noted, documents provided as part of the webinar were created and maintained by other public and private organizations and may not reflect HUD's official position. HUD-produced guidance documents, except when based on statutory or regulatory authority or law, do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way. Such guidance documents are intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or HUD policies. The information is not intended to provide legal advice to any individual or entity. Please refer to relevant laws and regulations and/or your own legal advisor before taking any action based on information appearing on this site or any site to which it may be linked. Some materials have been translated into languages other than English; slight variations may have resulted from the translation.
Tags: Fair Housing NFHTA