ACLU reaches settlement to end Faribault housing discrimination case
FARIBAULT, Minn. -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota announced Wednesday it won a $685,000 settlement with the city of Faribault over its housing rental ordinance.
The settlement includes reforms designed to end discrimination in housing. The ACLU hopes it can provide a model to help strike down similar housing programs in cities around the country.
The ACLU of MN said the ordinance encouraged landlords to discriminate and limited housing opportunities for people of color.
The Faribault City Council voted Tuesday to overhaul its Rental Licensing Ordinance and Crime-Free Multi-Housing program as part of the settlement.
The challenged policies encouraged landlords to bar housing applicants with a criminal record, authorized police to order evictions without due process, and permitted landlords to evict families for violating occupancy limits after having a baby.
Under the settlement, background checks are optional and landlords who do them can only consider certain recent serious felonies and must give applicants individualized consideration.
As a result of the lawsuit, police can no longer order the eviction of a household because police suspect a family member or guest of criminal activity.
There is also a change in how occupancy limits are set: babies and toddlers cannot count towards those limits.
The lawsuit argued that the city's policies violated the Fair Housing Act, the Minnesota Constitution and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.