LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Lansing, and the state of Michigan, are in the midst of a housing crisis. Safe, affordable housing is difficult to find and obtain.

Officials from the Michigan Civil Rights Commission are holding hearings over the next few months to hear from Michiganders about their experiences with housing discrimination.

Gloria Lara is chair of the commission. She is aware of the impact of racial discrimination in housing. She’s Latina and he’s Black.

“I always pick the place,” she tells 6 News. “I don’t even want to have the hesitancy of someone not wanting to rent to us or to sell to us because of my husband being Black.”

She says it’s because she knows that racial discrimination still happens, despite being illegal under local, state and federal laws.

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission was created by the Michigan Constitution. Members are selected by the governor and appointed with the consent of the Michigan Senate. The Commission, in turn, oversees the collection, investigation and resolution of discrimination complaints made under Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. Those day-to-day investigations are handled by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, which reports to the Commission.

MDCR spokeswoman Vicki Levengood says the agency reviewed 204 complaints of housing discrimination in 2023.

While Chair Lara’s experience with housing discrimination is based on race, she says housing discrimination can be very nuanced.

“Housing discrimination goes beyond the landlord not renting to a person of color or a real estate agent steering a family to a specific neighborhood,” she says. “And it could be a landlord who will not accommodate a service animal or make modifications that allow someone with a disability to be able to access their apartment or their house. And it also can mean that the home of a Black couple can be appraised for a lower value as opposed to the same house with the white couple — and it could be comparable in every single way — but it could be appraised for as much as a third more. So, there’s a lot of different nuances to it.”

To get an accurate picture of what housing discrimination in Michigan looks like right now, the MCRC is hosting public hearings to hear from people impacted by or experiencing housing discrimination.

The first one will be a virtual event on Wednesday, Feb. 7 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pre-registration is necessary. The virtual hearing is specifically for residents in Clinton, Ingham, Eaton, Jackson and Hillsdale counties.

In person hearings will be held in Flint, March 16 at Mott Community College Event Center and Grand Rapids, on April 28 at the Center for Community Transformation. A hearing was already held in December in Detroit.

OIfficials say individuals can also submit written testimony for the meetings.

“We know that housing impacts every aspect of life, including health, wealth, security and peace of mind,” said MDCR Executive Director John E. Johnson, Jr. “The Commission’s determination to hear directly from people who have suffered due to housing discrimination will provide the framework for policy recommendations designed to eliminate it.”

Lara says Commissioners are keen to hear from people living with disabilities, as well as members of the LGBTQ community.

Officials say they are also interested in hearing from people who are experiencing homelessness, or have been homeless, and any discrimination in housing they may have experienced.

”This is really important,” Lara says of the hearings and actions by the Commission. “People need to understand that everyone is entitled to a safe place to live and to raise their families.”

DISCLOSURE: Todd Heywood previously worked as a communications staffer for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.

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