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Civil Rights at the Boston Housing Authority |
The Boston Housing Authority (BHA) takes seriously its responsibility under State and Federal laws to administer all aspects of its housing programs without regard to race, color, sex, national origin/ethnicity, religion, familial status, sexual orientation, or disability. A Civil Rights Protection Plan (CRPP) has been adopted by the BHA to assist BHA employees in identifying and investigating reported alleged civil rights violations thoroughly and without delay. Copies of the CRPP are available at all BHA offices. For assistance or additional information, please call the BHA Office of Civil Rights at 988-4383.
Civil Rights Hotline
The BHA has a non-emergency 24-Hour Hotline for the reporting of civil rights incidents. The telephone number is 695-3531.
Zero Tolerance Policy
The BHA has established a zero tolerance for civil rights violations on Authority property. This Policy applies to all residents, who are required to sign a certification that they agree to comply with the Zero Tolerance Policy.
Under this Policy, a resident’s entire household will be subject to eviction if the resident, any member of the resident’s household, any guest, or any other person under the resident’s control, is determined after an investigation to have violated the civil rights of any person while on BHA property, in violation of the resident’s BHA Public Housing Lease.
What kinds of actions may be Civil Rights violations?
An action may be a Civil Rights violation when bias or discrimination appears to be a motive in what happened to you. A bias motive is hostility, or negative attitude toward, or prejudice against, any group or individual due to race, color, sex, national origin/ethnicity, religion, familial status, sexual orientation, or disability.
The first step to consider is whether any bias indicators were present during the incident. Bias indictors are certain facts and circumstances which when combined with particular language or behavior suggest that a potential civil rights violation has occurred. Examples of bias indicators include:
- Racial, ethnic, gender, and cultural differences between the offender and victim
- Bias-related comments, written statements or gestures were made by the offender
- Bias-related drawings, markings, symbols and graffiti
- Objects or items that represent the work of organized hate groups were left at the scene of the incident
- Victim or witnesses perceive that the incident was motivated by bias
The presence of bias indicators means that the incident should be reported to the Police and the BHA, and that an investigation should be initiated. Bias indictors are not confirmation of a civil rights violation, but rather indicate that an investigation is required to make a determination. The BHA Office of Civil Rights and the Boston Police Department make this determination.
Reporting a Civil Rights Violation
If you think something has happened to you on BHA property, which violated your civil rights, you should take the following steps:
1) If you are in immediate physical danger, there is property damage or personal injury, call 9-1-1, the Boston Police Department. Then notify your management office.
2) If there is no immediate threat, you should promptly notify your management office or the BHA Office of Civil Rights at 988-4383.
3) You can, at anytime, call the BHA 24-Hour Civil Rights Hotline at 695-3531 or the BHA Police at 423-1212.
What happens after I make a complaint?
You will be assisted in completing a Civil Rights Administrative Report Form (CRARF). The BHA Office of Civil Rights will conduct an administrative inquiry and the Boston Police Department will conduct a criminal investigation. The BHA Office of Civil Rights will provide you with a copy of the results of the investigation.
When the offender is identified, the BHA will initiate appropriate civil action against their household. A private conference is required in all cases. In cases where the offender is not a resident, the BHA may request that the Boston or BHA Police issue a No Trespass Notice against the individual(s) to prevent them from entering BHA property.
You will be kept informed of the status of the investigation, but if at anytime you have questions, you should call the BHA Office of Civil Rights at 988-4383. Every effort is made to complete investigations within fourteen (14) days.
Civil Rights Transfer Requests
When you complete a CRARF, you have the right to request an Emergency Transfer based upon a potential violation of your civil rights. You must complete a transfer request form, which is available at your management office. The BHA has a Transfer Review Committee, which will review your request and issue a written decision. As part of the investigation, the Office of Civil Rights will issue a report and recommendation to the transfer review committee. For more information on the transfer process, please see the BHA Transfer Guide. To check on the status of your transfer request, you may call the Transfer Process Coordinator at 988-4545.
BHA Mediation Program
Mediation is a process that allows parties to a dispute a chance to find their own way of settling their differences. A mediator or team of mediators is present to facilitate this process. Mediation is confidential. Nothing that happens during the session will be reported to anyone, only the Agreement is “public information.”
Mediation is a voluntary process. All parties must be willing to participate. If you decide that you would rather have someone else decide the outcome of your case, you have the right to leave at any time.
Mediators are volunteers trained to help you find your own solutions. They are not judges. They will not take sides or decide who is “right” and who is “wrong.” Your Agreement will be subject to review by the BHA Legal Department to ensure compliance with BHA policy and applicable laws, including the lease.
Mediation does not alleviate the BHA’s obligation to hold private conferences or take appropriate civil action against any household involved in committing a civil rights violation. Cases that are determined to be inappropriate for mediation by the Program Coordinator or where mediation is not successful, regardless of the reason, will be returned to the referring development. For more information on this program please contact your development office or the Office of Civil Rights.
Other Remedies
You also have the right to file an administrative complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) or with the New England Office of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). Their telephone numbers and addresses are listed in this brochure.
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Important Telephone Numbers |
BHA Police
225 West Broadway
South Boston, MA 02127
Boston Police Department
24-Hour Emergency Dial 9-1-1
Community Services Unit
One Schroeder Plaza
Boston, MA 02120
343-4527 (24 Hours)
BHA Civil Rights Hotline(24 Hours)
695-3531
BHA Office of Civil Rights
52 Chauncy Street
Boston, MA 02111
Tel. 988-4383
Fax 988-4313
TDD 1-800-545-1833 EXT. 420
BHA Transfer Process Coordinator
988-4545
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)
Fair Housing Hub
Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Federal Bldg.
10 Causeway Street, Room 321
Boston, MA 02222
565-5308
1-800-827-5005
TTY 565-5453
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD)
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
727-3990
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