As part of National Fair Housing Month, the city of Emporia welcomed both local tenants and landlords to a pair of informational seminars Tuesday.
The seminars featured presentations from Abigail Panecatl of Housing and Credit Counseling Inc. (HCCI) on landlord and tenant rights. Panecatl says it is vitally important for all individuals to be as well informed on the latest laws and regulations before entering into any kind of rental agreement.
She adds the more informed an individual is, the less likely they are to escalate a dispute and potentially find themselves in a worse situation in the future.
Also on hand for the day’s seminars was City of Emporia Community Housing Coordinator Brandi Galbreath. Galbreath tells KVOE News the seminars are now an annual opportunity provided by the city as part of Fair Housing Month which recognizes the passage of the Fair Housing Act in April of 1968.
The act was a civil rights law signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson outlawing discriminatory actions in housing transactions. Galbreath echoed Panecatl’s comments on the importance of keeping residents as informed as possible on changes in the world of housing noting that many things, including definitions of discrimination, have changed drastically over the last five decades.
Panecatl says having a housing coordinator such as Galbreath available to residents of any community is a valuable resource. That being said, Panecatl noted that if landlords or tenants have questions regarding their responsibilities in a housing dispute or transaction, they should not limit their research to just local experts, but should reach out to any professionals and agencies available to them including HCCI.
