The Fair Housing Act is a federal law ― signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1968 ― that protects people from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or disability when buying, selling, renting or financing a home.
To bring more awareness to the issue, the West Allis Community Development Authority hosts an annual art contest to showcase the artwork of students throughout the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District.
This year, the art contest, run in conjunction with the Milwaukee County Transit System, was open to the public for the first time.
Felicity Leigh, a student in the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District won the annual art contest this year
Felicity Leigh, 11, a student at Frank Lloyd Wright Intermediate School in West Allis, was one of three winners of the art contest and the only student winner.
Her art piece ― titled “Different Faces-Same Dream” ― was proudly displayed at the bus stop near the intersection of South 108th Street and West Oklahoma Avenue in West Allis.
Felicity was surrounded by her family and officials from West Allis and MCTS to accept the honor at a Monday morning news conference.
She told the Journal Sentinel about the message behind her art.
“I wanted to make it clear that everybody deserved to have a home and everybody should feel safe and feel like they belong in the community,” Felicity said. “And I hope everybody does get a fair house and a place to live in.”
Felicity called the experience “nerve-wracking,” but said she was very grateful to win. She also said she had a lot of support from her family.
“Both of my parents were really excited and proud of me. They are definitely encouraging.”
There were two other winners for this year’s art contest, Ayla Starr and Joseph Juarez ― both adults. Starr’s work can be seen on the Greenfield Avenue and South 70th Street bus stop and Juarez’s work can be found at the National Avenue and South 60th Street bus stop.
West Allis partnered with the Milwaukee County Transit System for the first time for the annual art contest
The Bus Shelter Art Project began in June 2018 and is now managed by MCTS, according the MCTS website.
To goal of the project is to spread art across the community by using MCTS bus shelters as a “canvas” on which to display artwork.
As a community, West Allis Mayor Dan Devine said the city of West Allis prides itself on promoting safe, decent, and affordable housing, generating economic opportunities and promoting living environments free of discrimination.
“The goals include expanding the supply of affordable housing, improving the quality of assisted housing, and increasing assisted housing choices,” Devine said at Monday’s event.
This was the first time that MCTS and West Allis partnered on the art contest, so these are the first bus shelters in the city to get the artwork, according to MCTS Manager of Marketing and Communications Anna Schryver.
Where the Fair Housing program stands in the City of West Allis within the community
According to West Allis Community Development Senior Planner Danielle Golida, the decision to make the annual art contest public was to help reach a broader audience in relation to fair housing and how it connects to the City of West Allis.
To ensure West Allis continues to provide fair housing for people in the community, the city takes measures for marginalized communities by the use of education, Golida said.
“Education begins with ensuring families are educated on the initial eligibility and continuing eligibility of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program,” Golida said.
The housing choice voucher program is the federal government’s major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development website.
Golida said by providing these households with tools needed to navigate the program, housing staff are able to provide soft skills to participants in order to be a success in their search for permanent housing.
Golida said there were no issues with racial, ethnic, or demographic groups in regard to housing this year, but said the main challenges pertain to landlord and tenant relations.
Public housing authorities are not experts in fair housing, according to Golida, but as a team they help close the gaps between landlords and tenants by referring them to fair housing professionals when situations arise. Guidance comes from HUD, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, or legal aid, depending on the situation, Golida said.
For more information on fair housing in West Allis, visit the Fair Housing Board page on the city’s official website.
Contact Adrienne Davis at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: West Allis art contest adds art to bus shelters, promotes fair housing
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