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Proclamation declaring April 2005 as “Fair Housing Month” in Allegheny County.
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WHEREAS, the population of Allegheny County consists of people of every race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, and familial status, including those who are disabled due to injury or accident; and
WHEREAS, discrimination in housing continues to be a problem that often results in overcrowded, segregated areas with substandard, unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, and which deprives many citizens of their right to the American Dream of choosing where they live and/or owning a home of their choice; and
WHEREAS, we must not take these rights for granted and recognize that discrimination in the terms and conditions of the sale, lease, financing, or insuring of real property is illegal, morally offensive, and reprehensible; and
WHEREAS, ownership of real property is a means for families and individuals to accumulate assets that may benefit the community at large and future generations; and
WHEREAS, above all else, we as duly elected representatives of the people must dedicate ourselves to work to ensure that our communities are open to all people to exercise their freedom to choose where they live; and
WHEREAS, we acknowledge the 37th anniversary of the Fair House Act and the work of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations, and the Fair Housing Partnership of Greater Pittsburgh in ensuring that these rights are protected, setting aside the month of April to celebrate and remind us all of these rights and responsibilities;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Allegheny County Council does hereby proclaim the month of April 2005 as “Fair Housing Month” in Allegheny County, recognizing that each one of us shares in the future of this great nation, and as a reminder that we should not take these freedoms for granted.