HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CONGRESS REMAINS ITS OWN ENTITY
After over a year of regular discussion with Future Heights and Reaching Heights regarding a possible merger, the Heights Community Congress Board has voted to remain a separate non-profit entity to preserve its Mission of advocating social justice issues, monitoring fair housing, and facilitating community building.
HCC has benefited form the conversations with Future Heights and Reaching Heights, and will now be better able to offer and suggest programmatic and situational collaboration with these organizations in the future. Individually, HCC will develop diversity programming for Cleveland Heights and continues to monitor home sales to determine whether all aspects of the Federal Fair Housing Laws are followed. HCC's dedication to anti-discrimination efforts to achieve racial, ethnic and economic diversity in the Heights and throughout Northeast Ohio was prominently mentioned in 2011 in The Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing (the AI Report). The AI Report was prepared by the City of Cleveland Heights to satisfy the requirements of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 and recognizes the responsibility of compliance to the fair housing laws.
Inaddition to diversity programming and home sale monitoring, HCC is currently preparing the Heights Heritage Home and Garden Tour. Now in its 37th year, the Home Tour will be held on September 21 and 22, and will showcase the beautiful and creative homes and gardens of Cleveland Heights. The Tour is another way of showing that all persons should have equal and fair access to residential housing.
HCC has benefited form the conversations with Future Heights and Reaching Heights, and will now be better able to offer and suggest programmatic and situational collaboration with these organizations in the future. Individually, HCC will develop diversity programming for Cleveland Heights and continues to monitor home sales to determine whether all aspects of the Federal Fair Housing Laws are followed. HCC's dedication to anti-discrimination efforts to achieve racial, ethnic and economic diversity in the Heights and throughout Northeast Ohio was prominently mentioned in 2011 in The Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing (the AI Report). The AI Report was prepared by the City of Cleveland Heights to satisfy the requirements of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 and recognizes the responsibility of compliance to the fair housing laws.
Inaddition to diversity programming and home sale monitoring, HCC is currently preparing the Heights Heritage Home and Garden Tour. Now in its 37th year, the Home Tour will be held on September 21 and 22, and will showcase the beautiful and creative homes and gardens of Cleveland Heights. The Tour is another way of showing that all persons should have equal and fair access to residential housing.
Heights Community Congress...
Established in 1972, Heights Community Congress (HCC) is the oldest fair housing organization in our region. For 41 years, HCC has dedicated its efforts to preventing housing discrimination in Cleveland Heights and its surrounding communities.
A landmark case in 1985, HCC v. Hilltop Realty challenged overt housing discrimination and added flesh to the bones of the 1968 Fair Housing Act. Over the years, the organization continued to monitor treatment for everyone seeking to purchase homes. HCC vigorously brought law suits against real estate companies that egregiously discriminated against Black home buyers. These efforts produced community involvement and positive results. For those people who believe discrimination is a thing of the past, the consistent monitoring program that HCC conducts annually show otherwise. Subtle forms of discrimination are seen only when HCC does its paired sales audits. As attested in the AI study for Cleveland Heights in 2011(the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice) HCC’s work is a positive outcome for the money received from Community Development Block Grant funding. Today, HCC is examining how to best maximize its historical commitment to fair housing, recognizing new realities of limited resources as well as varied methods of looking for homes via the Internet and changing times. The spirit of the past along with the strong dedication of involved citizens of Cleveland Heights will keep HCC as strong advocates of social justice as well as monitors of fair housing and facilitators of building community |
Upcoming Events:
Heights Heritage Home & Garden Update!The Heights Heritage Home Tour has finalized their selection process for this year's tour--Dazzling Diversity 2013. Six beautiful homes, three with gardens to view plus additional stand alone gardens will provide an afternoon of pleasurable viewing. A refreshment stop at Church of the Saviour on Lee Road is all part of the reasonably priced ticket. A festive Preview Party with a sneak-peek at selected homes starts Tour Week-end in style. The party for benefactors is being held in the beautiful tented garden at McGregor. Watch for continuing details about this highly regarded community event.
Heights Heritage Home & Garden Tour
Showcasing the unique variety of historic homes and gardens within Cleveland Heights since 1977
This year's tour will be held the weekend of SEPTEMBER 21-22, 2013. Saturday September 21st, 2013 - Preview Party Sunday September 22nd, 2013 - Home Tour, Noon - 6pm |
