Events & Training

Fair Housing & Assistance Animals - Do Tenants Still Have Rights?

Webinar - December 9, 2025 (Tuesday) 10 am

HUD has withdrawn its guidance on assistance animals (FHEO 2020-01: Assessing a Person’s Request to Have an Animal as a Reasonable Accommodation Under the Fair Housing Act (Jan. 28, 2020)). This webinar will address the current standards at the federal and state level as to assistance animals. This webinar will also explore the various enforcement options at the federal and state level when a violation has occurred in regard to an assistance animal.

There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions, or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Criminal Records & Fair Housing - Is a Prior Conviction an Automatic Disqualifier?

Webinar - January 20, 2026 (Tuesday) 10 am

HUD withdrew all of its guidance on the use of criminal records in housing, including HUD's Office of General Counsel's Guidance, entitled Application of Fair Housing Act Standards to Use of Criminal Records (Apr. 4, 2016)). On the other hand, the State of Michigan’s most recent Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (2016) states that “Individuals exiting prison are often discriminated against through strict rental policies that prohibit renters with criminal records. Often this results in a disparate impact based on race and national origin as there are higher rates of incarceration a.m. Ong minority populations.” Goal 1.4 & Strategy 1.4.C of Michigan’s Statewide Housing Plan (2022) lists a strategy the need to promote compliance by housing providers with “HUD’s guidance on use of criminal records by housing providers and real estate transactions.”

This webinar address this conflicting federal and state landscape, providing clear training and answers--for tenants and home owners and for housing professionals--as to current standards governing criminal record policies and residential housing. 

There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions, or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Source of Income (SOI) Protections - Critical "Must Know" Information and Direct Answers to the Key Technical Compliance Questions

Webinar - March 4, 2026 (Tuesday) 10 am

This webinar will address the commonly raised questions concerning source of income (SOI) requirements, as well as technical questions that have arisen under Michigan's new SOI legislation. Q&As include how should qualifying ratios be computed? Are there limits on credit score, down payment amounts, and other qualifying requirements? May housing provider refuse to enter into HAP contracts due to Fourth Amendment arguments? How much time must a landlord wait for approval of a voucher applicant? Can a housing provider prefer voucher holders? These and other questions will be answered.   

There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions, or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Disparate Impact Theory of Liability in Housing Cases - Must Know & Need to Know in 2026

Webinar - April 7, 2026 (Tuesday) 10 am

Without question, the most significant fair housing claims have been brought under the disparate impact (DI) theory of liability. These claims were based on the Supreme Court's decision in Texas Dep’t of Housing & Comm. Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., 576 U.S. 519 (2015) and HUD’s 2013 DI Rule. Recently, a Presidential Executive Order, entitled "Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy" (Apr. 23, 2025), and HUD Memorandum, Fair Housing Act Enforcement and Prioritization of Resources (Sept. 16, 2025), have stopped enforcement of DI claims by HUD at the federal administrative level. This webinar will address these changes in federal administrative enforcement of DI claims and provide guidance as to how to navigate this conflicting federal and state landscape.

There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions, or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Tenants' Rights & Responsibilities

In Person - May, 19, 2026 (Tuesday) 1 pam

The training will address the following topics: How to avoid fraud to confirm that you are entering into a lease agreement with a legitimate landlord/owner who has obtained a rental certificate; importance of a written lease and what to look for; how to address matters of habitability and repair and navigate the “deduct & repair” process; security deposit limits and how to compute them; importance of inventory checklists at the beginning and ending of the rental period; how to assert claims for recovery of a security and the right to “double damages”; determining the limit for rent increases and late fees; kinds of notices required for a lawful eviction; tenant organizations and retaliatory evictions; and challenging an unlawful changing of the locks, termination of utility services, and other constructive eviction under Michigan’s Anti-Lockout Statute. The training will also include a great deal of time to answer questions. 

This in person training will take place at the Southfield Parks & Recreation Center Building, 26000 Evergreen Road, Suite 112, Southfield, MI 48076.

There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions, or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Reasonable Accommodations & Modifications - Must Know & Need to Know in 2026

Webinar - June 23, 2026 (Tuesday) 10 am

HUD has promulgated regulations and issued policy guidance concerning the requirements to permit reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications for persons with disabilities (24 C.F.R. § §100.203 & 100.204 and Joint Statements of HUD/DOJ, entitled "Reasonable Accommodations Under the Fair Housing Act" (May 17, 2004) & "Reasonable Modifications Under the Fair Housing Act" (Mar. 5, 2008)). What is the impact of the Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bright Enters. v. Raimondo, 144 S. Ct. 2244 (2024), on HUD's regulations and the HUD/DOJ guidance? What is the statue of reasonable accommodation and reasonable modification claims at the state and local level? This webinar will assess these developments and provide a concise analysis of the status of reasonable accommodation and reasonable modification claims in 2026. 

There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions, or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Fair Housing for Landlords - Compliance Check with Q&As

In Person - July 14, 2026 (Tuesday) 1 pm

This in person training is for housing providers (owners, management companies, and others involved in the ownership and operation of housing). What are the key fair housing requirements and best practices? What are the important requirements under landlord-tenant law? Bring your lease agreement and questions.

This in person training will take place at the Southfield Parks & Recreation Center Building, 26000 Evergreen Road, Suite 112, Southfield, MI 48076.

There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions, or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

Attorney Fees in Fair Housing Cases - A Necessary and Critical Factor in Ensuring that Victims Receive Effective Service by Qualified and Fully Compensated Legal Counsel

Webinar - September 15, 2026 (Tuesday) 1 pm

Congressional policy favors private enforcement of civil rights acts and mandates a liberal construction of attorney's fee statutes. Texas State Teachers Association v. Garland Independent School Dist., 489 U.S. 782 (1989). The eradication of housing discrimination is a policy that Congress considered to be "of the highest priority". Trafficante v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 409 U.S. 205, 211 (1972). This training will address, among other topics, the availably of attorney fees under federal and state civil rights statutes pertaining to housing discrimination claims; the various standards for awarding attorney fees for plaintiffs, defendants, complainants, and respondents in state and administrative proceedings; and the "lodestar" and "Laffey Matrix" approaches for quantifying the attorney fee award. Significant time will also be made available for participating who have questions regarding fair housing cases and attorney fee awards. 

There is no charge for this training as it is being sponsored by a generous grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If you have questions, or require an accommodation due to a disability, please send an email to Steve Tomkowiak, Executive Director.

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