United Athens County Tenants discuss sexual harassment by landlords

*Madeline Harden contributed to this story

United Athens County Tenants (UACT) held a panel discussion about sexual harassment by landlords, tenants rights and resources for survivors of sexual harassment on Tuesday evening via Zoom and Facebook. 

The panel opened with a presentation led by Peggy Lee, a senior staff attorney at Southeastern Ohio Legal Services, about preventing and addressing sexual and other discriminatory harassment in housing. 

Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), discrimination in housing and housing-related services and transactions due to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or disability, is prohibited. It also prohibits retaliation against a person who carried out their FHA rights by complaining about discrimination or aiding someone else in filing a complaint. Landlords are required under the FHA to ensure housing is discrimination-free. 

“Your landlord is not allowed to sexually harass you. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it,” Lee said. 

Lee explained that sexual harassment can take place in a number of ways -- it can be written, physical, verbal or non-verbal. 

“Your landlord must also ensure that your housing is free from discrimination or harassment by others, and if they become aware of harassment, they need to take steps to protect you from that,” Lee said.

According to Lee under the Fair Housing Act, sexual harassment can take the form of unwelcome advances, requests for favors, quid pro quo or other physical or verbal contact that is sexual in nature.

Lee describes a quid pro quo relating to housing discrimination as a “situation where a landlord, or an employee or agent (anyone working on behalf of an owner)… determine how services are to be rendered, based on whether or not you submit to unwelcome advances… that would be considered a violation of fair housing law.”

Rene Redd, a representative from Survivors Advocacy Outreach Program (SAOP), gave a presentation on the resources the organization provides to victims and survivors. 

“We provide medical and legal advocacy. With medical advocacy, specifically folks seeking medical attention for anything as a result of interpersonal violence, including sexual violence, domestic violence, human trafficking, and stalking,” Redd said. “We can provide in-person assistance and accompaniment as far as legal advocacy.”

SAOP also offers housing for those escaping unsafe living situations.  

“We have temporary housing and more long-term housing for a different program that we’re starting. There is no authority housing, there are no staff in the units,” Redd said. “However, we do have to limit it to three months at a time with an option to extend if we have capacity.”

The final panelist to present was Kelly Cooke, the executive director of My Sister’s Place, a local domestic violence agency. My Sister’s Place has been serving Athens and surrounding counties since 1977. My Sister’s Place offers various resources, including an emergency shelter, outreach counseling and a 24-hour hotline. 

“We have a shelter in the city limits of Athens, but it does have a confidential address,” Cooke said. “We have 11 beds, and are licensed and certified through [the] Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. We also have a pet program so people who are in our shelter can bring cats and dogs to the kennel in our backyard.”

My Sister's Place also offers a case manager, counselor, court advocate, and full-time staff for those in the shelter. 

If you or anyone you know have questions or requests for support with a rental-related issue. Follow the link provided by UACT: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebgDUH4vwN2T4yzABbicEwv0cDeqxL4Pkg9Rp7O8zM8wHzbg/viewform

Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program: 740-591-4266

My Sister’s Place 24-hour hotline:  1-800-443-3402