City of Spokane 2024 Fair Housing Survey for Housing Consumers & Advocates - Please Respond by 4/7/2024

Purpose of Survey

As a recipient of US Dept. of Housing & Urban Development funds, Spokane is required to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing.

The Spokane CHHS Department has contracted with Northwest Fair Housing Alliance to prepare the 2024 Fair Housing Plan. The Fair Housing Plan will be used to identify fair housing issues in Spokane and set goals to overcome barriers to fair housing,

Please take a few minutes to complete this survey to provide input on fair housing issues in the City of Spokane.

This survey has been designed for input from housing consumers and their advocates (including tenants, transitional housing residents, homebuyers / owners, home mortgage borrowers, healthcare providers, tenant attorneys, tenant advocates, housing counselors, and social service providers).

Completing this survey is not the same as filing a complaint.

Please contact Marley Hochendoner at (509) 209-2667 or execdir@nwfairhouse.org if you have questions about this survey or the 2024 Fair Housing Plan.

Question Title

* 1. Where do you live? (*The first questions ask about your demographic information, to provide information on whether survey responders are representative of all protected classes, geographies and roles in housing transactions in the City of Spokane)

City of Spokane

Other town or city within Spokane County

Unincorporated Spokane County

Other town or city in WA outside of Spokane County

Outside of WA State

Other (please specify)

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* 2. What is your race?

Black or African American

Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Asian

Native American /Alaska Native/ Indigenous

White Non-Hispanic

Hispanic or Latino

2 or more Races

Other Race

If you selected Other Race, please specify)

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* 3. Are you Hispanic, Latino, or Latinx?

Yes

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* 4. Do you or does someone in your household have a disability?

Yes

If yes, is it a mental or physical disability?

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* 5. What is your sexual orientation?

Heterosexual

Gay or Lesbian

Bisexual

Pansexual

Asexual

Other (please specify)

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* 6. What is your gender?

Female assigned at birth (cisgender)

Male assigned at birth (cisgender)

Transgender Female

Transgender Male

Gender-nonconforming

Intersex

Bi-gender

Other (please specify)

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* 7. Do you have children under 18 in your household?

Yes

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* 8. How many people are in your household?

6 or more

Other (please specify)

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* 9. Which best describes your annual income?

No income

$12,000 or less

$18,000 or less

$22,500 or less

$26,215 or less

$29,960 or less

$33,705 or less

$37,450 or less

$44,940 or less

$56,200 or less

$75,000 or less

$103,400 or less

$103,401 or more

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* 10. Do you use a voucher (section 8, VASH, etc.) or other subsidy (HEN, etc.) to pay some or all of your housing costs?

Yes

If Yes, what type?

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* 11. Which best describes your current living situation?

Homeless shelter

Houseless, no shelter

Renting a dwelling unit on a month to month basis

Leasing a dwelling unit for a fixed term (12 mos. etc.)

Own or purchasing a dwelling unit (house, condo., etc.)

Reside in Transitional Housing

Temporarily staying with friends or family

Other (please specify)

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* 12. Which role(s) best describes you?

Tenant

Homebuyer or owner

Mortgage borrower

Tenant advocate

Social service provider

Housing counselor

Healthcare provider

Tenant attorney

Other (please specify)

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* 13. Please select any of the following that you believe are protected under federal or WA state fair housing laws. (*The next questions focus on your fair housing knowledge, beliefs, and experiences)

Race

Color

Religion

National Origin

Sex

Disability

Familial status (children)

Sexual Orientation

Military / Veteran status

Creed

Immigration / Citizenship status

Marital status (Married or Not Married)

Source of income

Age

Other (please specify)

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* 14. How well do you understand fair housing laws?

I don’t know anything about fair housing laws

I understand some of the basics

I have a good understanding of fair housing laws

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* 15. How often do you believe that discrimination in the rental of housing occurs in Spokane?

It does not occur

Rarely

Occasionally

Commonly

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* 16. If you believe that discrimination occurs in the rental of housing, on what bases do you believe that discrimination is most often based on?

Age

National origin

Race

Disability

Color

Sexual Orientation

Marital status

Source of Income

Sex/Gender

Familial Status (children under 18)

Veteran Status

Religion

Immigration / Citizenship status

Other (please specify)

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* 17. If you believe that discrimination occurs in the rental of housing, why do you believe it most often occurs?

Unconscious or immediate thought process

Intentional bias

Laws and written or unwritten policies within institutions and across systems

Deeply embedded beliefs and company culture within institutions and across systems

All of the Above

Other (please specify)

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* 18. How often do you believe that discrimination in the sale of housing occurs in Spokane)?

It does not occur

Rarely

Occasionally

Commonly

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* 19. If you believe that discrimination occurs in the sale of housing, on what bases do you believe that discrimination is most often based on?

Age

National origin

Race

Disability

Color

Sexual Orientation

Marital status

Source of Income

Sex/Gender

Familial Status (children under 18)

Veteran Status

Religion

Immigration / Citizenship status

Other (please specify)

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* 20. If you believe that discrimination occurs in the sale of housing in Spokane, why do you believe it most often occurs?

Unconscious or immediate thought process

Intentional bias

Laws and written or unwritten policies within institutions and across systems

Deeply embedded beliefs and company culture within institutions and across systems

All of the Above

Other (please specify)

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* 21. How often do you believe that discrimination in mortgage lending occurs in Spokane?

It does not occur

Rarely

Occasionally

Commonly

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* 22. If you believe that discrimination occurs in mortgage lending in Spokane, on what bases do you believe that discrimination is most often based on?

Age

National origin

Race

Disability

Color

Sexual Orientation

Marital status

Source of Income

Sex/Gender

Familial Status (children under 18)

Veteran Status

Religion

Immigration / Citizenship Status

Other (please specify)

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* 23. If you believe that discrimination occurs in mortgage lending in Spokane, why do you believe it most often occurs?

Unconscious or immediate thought process

Intentional bias

Laws and written or unwritten policies within institutions and across systems

Deeply embedded beliefs and company culture within institutions and across systems

All of the Above

Other (please specify)

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* 24. Which agency(cies) could you contact to file a fair housing complaint?

Washington State Attorney General

Northwest Fair Housing Alliance

U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development

Washington State Human Rights Commission

Northwest Justice Project

Spokane Housing Authority

Other (please specify)

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* 25. What are you most concerned about with respect to fair housing and access to housing opportunities in Spokane? Check your top concerns.

Rental affordability – cost of rental and impact on protected classes

Housing purchase affordability – cost of home purchase and impact on protected classes

Rental unit availability – quantity available for rent and impact on protected classes

Availability of homes for sale – quantity available for sale and impact on protected classes

Public transportation – frequency or connections between housing and employment / education opportunities

Accessibility of rental properties for individuals with disabilities

Habitability (quality/condition) of rental properties and impact on protected classes

Representation of people of different protected classes on City Boards and Commissions

Zoning and siting of housing and impact on protected classes

Ability to provide input on decisions and policies affecting funding, siting, zoning and development of housing and housing services that impact protected classes

Use of criminal records for rental applicants and impact on protected classes

Technology requirements to access housing – searching, submitting applications, screening, paying rent, etc. and impact on protected classes

Acceptance of vouchers, subsidies, or alternative sources of income by housing providers

Acceptance of rental assistance by housing providers

Discrimination in mortgage lending because of protected class

Discrimination in home sales because of protected class

Discrimination in rental housing because of protected class

Steering of home buyers to neighborhoods by real estate agents based on protected class

Steering of tenants to housing complexes by property managers based on protected class

Discriminatory advertising of housing rentals, sales, or mortgage lending because of protected class

Discrimination in housing counseling because of protected class

Failure to grant reasonable accommodations and modifications in housing for people with disabilities

Discrimination in appraisals because of protected class

Discrimination in homeowner or renter insurance because of protected class

Other (please specify)

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* 26. Who is in need of increased fair housing education?

Tenants

Landlords

Property managers

Real estate brokers

Mortgage lenders, originators, and brokers

Healthcare providers

Social service providers

Homebuyers

Other (please specify)

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* 27. What is the most effective way to provide fair housing information to tenants and homebuyers in Spokane?

Television public service announcements

Radio public service announcements

Newspaper public service announcements

Brochures

Information tables at community events

In-person training

Live webinars

Online pre-recorded training

Provide training for those who work with tenants and homebuyers (tenant advocates, housing counselors, social service providers, healthcare providers, and tenant attorneys)

Social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

Posters

Other (please specify)

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* 28. What languages are most needed for fair housing education materials in Spokane?

Spanish

Ukrainian

Russian

Chinese

Arabic

Nepali

Japanese

Korean

French

Vietnamese

Marshallese

Laotian

Hindi

Swahili

Farsi

Poshto

Dari

Tagalog

Sign Languages

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 29. What is most needed to eliminate barriers to fair housing and improve access to equal housing opportunities in Spokane?

Fair housing training

Fair housing testing and investigation

Fair housing public service announcements

Fair housing enforcement by govt. administrative agencies

Fair housing enforcement in the courts

Adopt or amend laws related to housing

Changes to government policies, practices, or programs

Other (please specify)

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* 30. Are you aware of any housing practices in Spokane that are barriers to fair housing and equal opportunity access to housing?

Yes

If yes, please explain

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* 31. If you work for an organization on behalf of tenants or homebuyers, has your organization received housing discrimination complaints from your clients/constituents/members that occurred in Spokane?

Yes

If yes, please explain

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* 32. I believe I have been illegally discriminated against while attempting to obtain rental housing in Spokane?

True

False

If true, you may provide additional details if you feel comfortable doing so

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* 33. I believe I have been illegally discriminated against while renting in Spokane (e.g., treated differently because of my protected class, harassed because of my protected class, etc.)

True

False

If true, you may provide additional details if you feel comfortable doing so

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* 34. I believe I have been illegally discriminated against and terminated from rental housing in Spokane because of my protected class.

True

False

If true, you may provide additional details if you feel comfortable doing so

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* 35. I believe I have been illegally discriminated against while attempting to purchase a home in Spokane.

True

False

If true, please explain

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* 36. I believe I have been steered to a particular area of Spokane, neighborhood, or housing complex because of my race, national origin, disability, or presence of a child.

True

False

If true, you may provide additional details if you feel comfortable doing so

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* 37. I have had difficulty obtaining homeowner’s insurance in Spokane because of my protected class (race, national origin, disability, etc.)

True

False

If true, you may provide additional details if you feel comfortable doing so

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* 38. I have been denied a home mortgage loan in Spokane because of my protected class (race, disability, sex, national origin, etc.)

True

False

If true, you may provide additional details if you feel comfortable doing so