Austin’s civil rights office to hold Fair Housing Conference

Austin’s Office of Civil Rights has scheduled a Fair Housing Conference for April 26, at the Norris Conference Center on West Anderson Lane, intended to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the U.S. Fair Housing Act. The conference will include discussion of the city’s 1928 plan that codified segregated housing for communities of color. Other topics include current issues and developments in fair housing policies, the significance of the Fair Housing Act in the current climate, discussion of the affordability of homeownership in Austin, and how to create communities of opportunity. The keynote speaker for the conference will be Candace Valenzuela, southwest regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Free registration is available online through April 21.