CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Apryl Lewis is known around the Charlotte area for her advocacy work around housing rights. However, in 2022, the battle for equitable housing came to her own front door.

What You Need To Know

  • According to the latest data from the National Fair Housing Alliance, 34,150 fair housing complaints were filed in 2023 — up from 33,007 in 2022

  • Majority of complaints were related to disability discrimination 

  • The National Association of Realtors now requires members to take fair housing training every three years

“When it came down to my sister being the person that’s directly affected, it still was the same work,” she said. “However, it made me more frustrated.”

Lewis’ sister Asya Bond is bedridden with lymphedema and had a hard time getting accommodations from her previous property manager. 

“Discrimination based on a disability is wrong,” Bond said.

Lewis shared her sister’s story of health issues complicated by a challenging terrain at home. 

“The original apartment that she had on her own with my nephew — it had a hill,” Lewis said. “We had medics fuss at us and say it’s unsafe.”“The original apartment that she had on her own with my nephew — it had a hill,” Lewis said. “We had medics fuss at us and say it’s unsafe.”

The latest data from the National Fair Housing Alliance report shows more than 34,000 people filed fair housing complaints in 2023. That’s up from 33,000 in 2022. A majority of the complaints, 52%, were related to disability discrimination.  

In addition to emergency calls, Bond had to get medically transported to doctor’s visits twice a month. At the end of 2022 she requested a reasonable accommodation to be moved to a unit away from the hill, which she said took two years for the complex to approve.

“A high turnover with property management companies,” Lewis said. “So, therefore a lot of the process got lost. Just from them turning over. So, that means we have to start the process again, which is unfair to us.”

So, she joined the long list of tenants who feel discriminated against and started the process of filing a fair housing complaint. 

To combat housing discrimination — at least on the home-buying front — starting this year the National Association of Realtors now requires members to take fair housing training every three years. Canopy Realtor Association in Charlotte is taking the requirement a step further by hosting a fair housing seminar with a unique spin ahead of fair housing month in April. 

They invited actor Michael Fosberg, who travels around the country telling his story as a way to shift the culture for corporations and organizations.

“A lot of disparity in terms of equal housing, redlining, unequal mortgage acceptances, all of these things have to do with issues that we’re not dialoguing about. That’ we’re not discussing about,” Fosberg said.  

Karyn Lyndsey, Canopy’s vice president of Diversity and Inclusion Alliance, said the commitment to inclusion has been 20 years in the making for the association, making room for tough conversations about race and equality with Fosberg.

“Talks about overcoming your biases and how those things can impact a real estate transaction,” Lyndsey said.

Lewis said while the requirement for realtors is a step forward, more is needed to help tenants.

“I understand starting somewhere and maybe putting that responsibility on realtors is a place to start,” she said. “But, I hope that they intend to implement it further so that way it can actually touch the people where it needs to be.”

Fair Housing Project North Carolina also offers virtual fair housing trainings on its website.

If you’re renting a home and feel you haven’t been given access to fair housing, you can reach out to the North Carolina Human Relations Commission for help. 

And, if you’re buying or selling a home and believe you’ve been discriminated against by a realtor, you can file a complaint with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.