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President, IREM Maryland Chapter
There's a lot going on in the month of April! We hosted our first IYP event of the year at Camden Yards. If you weren't able to make it, stay tuned for the next IYP event which is sure to be just as much fun. Additionally, our chapter is sponsoring the Region 3 Accredited Residential Manager (ARM) track, which will result in twenty-six managers earning their ARM designation. We were happy to host several of the attendees at Camden Yards - they needed a break from studying! April is also Fair Housing Month.
It marks the 50th anniversary of when the Civil Rights Act, which contained the Fair Housing Act, was passed into law. This landmark legislation was enacted on April 11,1968 to protect both buyers and renters from discrimination when seeking a place to live.
To celebrate this milestone the
Online Fair Housing and Beyond Course
will be FREE to members throughout the month of April! It's a great refresher, and you can't beat the price. IREM is also hosting a webinar on April 18th about emotional support animals:
Emotional Support Animals: One Dog, Two Dogs, Three Dogs, Peacock?
I'd like to send a huge THANK YOU to our fabulous volunteers who helped with our booths at the MMHA Trade Show and the National Facilities Management & Technology Expo: Theresa Leatherbury, Alex Krone, Jill McKinley, Elizabeth Wright, Teika Haymon, Cristina Istrate and Michael Denise. We enjoyed talking to property managers, asset managers, and facility managers at both shows, but I think Cristina had the most fun taking pictures with NFMT attendees who stopped by our booth to learn more about IREM. Check them out on our
Facebook
page.
Next up is our annual
Day at the Races
on May 4, which is being held Laurel Race Track this year. I hope to see you all there!
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IREM Spotlight: Fair Housing Month
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Discrimination Prevention: The Evolution of Protected Classes
Since it was first enacted in 1968, the
Fair Housing Act (FHA)
has made huge strides in protecting buyers and renters from discrimination when seeking a place to live. However, the FHA is not a blanket prohibition of any type of discrimination, but only of discrimination based on characteristics that have been designated as a "protected class."
Even though the law has been enacted for half a century, the way it is applied and to whom is constantly evolving. When first enacted, the only protected classes under the FHA were race, color, religion and national origin, but over the next 50 years there have been important additions to that list. Just six years later, the U.S. Congress passed the
Housing and Community Development Act of 1974
. This law made sex a protected class, ensuring everyone would have equal access to housing regardless of whether they are male or female.
The most recent additions were added in 1988 as part of the
Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA)
. This act amended the FHA to prohibit discrimination because of an individual's disability defined as a "physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of major life activities (walking, seeing, hearing, learning, and working) or having a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment." The Act also designated familial status as a protected class, which protects anyone who has a child under 18, has temporary custody or is seeking custody of a child under 18, or is pregnant.
Today there are 7 federally protected classes, but many state and local governments have added to that list. For example, sexual orientation and gender identity are protected classes under the fair housing statutes of at least 20 states and 200 localities. IREM formally recognizes the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity as an additional protected class, and NAR's Code of Ethics prohibits sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination.
As a national organization, IREM believes its policies should reflect national, state, and local policies. Consequently, we believe IREM's positions on fair housing should not only include the protected classes under federal fair housing law, but also those protected by state and local laws.
To learn more about the Fair Housing Act and how it's progressed to the version that exists today, check out this article from the
March/April issue of JPM®
. And click
here
to see more ways that IREM is commemorating Fair Housing Month and the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act.
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Upcoming Events
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Grab your fancy hats and join us for a day of horse racing fun! The event will be from 12pm-4pm and includes a lunch buffet and open bar. Wear your finest topper and you'll be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card!
Member Price: $65
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10 Light Street Apartments
Join us for great food, drinks and networking opportunities at our Summer Happy Hour! The event will be held in the Sky Lounge of the 10 Light Street Apartments from
5:30pm to 8:30pm.
*Time to clean out your closet! The Community Outreach Committee will be collecting gently used professional clothing for its clothing drive.
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Visit our
EVENTS PAGE
for all the upcoming events of 2018!
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IREM BUCK$
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What you need to know about the IREM Buck$ Program:
- Members are no longer required to self-report. We will do this for you!
- Members can earn Buck$ the following ways:
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$500
Attend a Meeting
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$500
Join a Committee
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$500
Recruit a New Member
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$500
Attend a Course or Seminar
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$3000
Obtain an ARM® Certification
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$5000
Obtain a CPM® Designation
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IREM Buck$ are passed out at the Holiday Party held in December.
- Members must be present to receive their Buck$
- Buck$ are used to bid on the Silent Auction or to purchase raffle tickets for prizes like:
$ Hotel Stays $
$ Gift Baskets $
$ Theater Tickets $
$ Designer Purses $
$ Spa Retreats $
and more!
Start Earning Your Buck$ Now!!
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