Title: Discrimination in Immigrant Rental Housing: A Paired-

Testing Study
Submission Type: Paper
Authors: Sills, Stephen J. (University of North Carolina Greensboro)
Blake, Elizabeth A. (University of North Carolina
Greensboro)

Abstract: Nearly fifty years after “Jim Crow” laws were abolished,
residential segregation is still \a contemporary social problem.
The 1968 Fair Housing Act and subsequent amendments were
passed to eliminate barrier to full racial/ethnic integration. With
the influx of large numbers of non-European immigrants, issues of
residential isolation and segregation have taken on new
significance. Audit studies have been used to reveal the factors
associated with
violations in fair housing laws. While there is evidence that the
rates of discrimination have decreased for African-Americans since
the early audit studies of the 1970s and 1980s, rates have
remained constant or have even risen for Hispanics (Krivo 1995;
Turner, et al 2002). Findings from the Department of Housing and
Urban Development show that Hispanic apartment seekers were
often told that rental units are unavailable, or were quoted higher
rents. These same apartments were available to non-Hispanic
white applicants (Turner et al. 2002). This project is one of only a
few studies that have tested for discrimination in mid-sized
southern
towns. The study paired Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Whites and
African-Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites, to test randomly
selected, “affordable” rental units. Results suggest that some
Non-Hispanic Whites are steered away from predominantly
African-Americans neighborhoods, that Hispanics are often
required to provide greater deposits or additional documentation
proving eligibility, and that African-Americans are routinely
treated disrespectfully by property managers. Qualitative and
quantitative analysis of the 45 paired tests will be presented.
Keywords: Race/Ethnic/Minority Relations
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