This April, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act (here’s a primer on the landmark legislation), there’s no doubt that the apartment industry has made tremendous steps toward inclusivity and anti-discrimination.

But according to the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), there were more than 28,000 reported instances of housing discrimination in 2016. Over 90 percent of those occurred during a rental transaction.

“If you include unreported instances of discrimination, the number skyrockets to over 4 million,” said Racquel Russell, vice president of government relations and public affairs at Zillow Group. “As a nation, we still have a long way to go.”

In its 2017 report, NFHA states the need for corporations and philanthropic organizations to provide “meaningful and substantive support for fair housing as part of a holistic approach to achieving lasting change.” But what does that look like in practice? And how can property managers work together to create a more inclusive society?

“Fair housing is the law. It’s not just the right thing to do — it’s the lawful thing to do,” Russell shared. “But there are many companies in the apartment industry that are going far beyond that. Through their missions, they are proactively furthering fair housing and strengthening diversity and inclusion in our communities.”

Redefining the law of the land

For Aeon, an affordable-housing developer in Minnesota, creating and sustaining inclusive and diverse communities is at the core of its mission. The organization serves nearly 8,000 people, the majority of which (78 percent) earn very low or extremely low incomes. Their residents’ average household income is $18,629, and one-fifth of Aeon homes serve individuals who were formerly homeless.

Karen Barton, learning and development manager at Aeon, makes sure employees go beyond what is required under the law. In addition to the mandatory fair housing training every employee completes as part of their onboarding process, Aeon offers trainings on different cultures, as well as a training called “Bridges Out of Poverty,” which helps participants better understand how to work with and support low-income individuals.

Barton continues, “We seek to understand where different groups are coming from, and we are continually educating our staff on the different cultures we serve. This means we do more than just avoid lawsuits. It can mean anything from not holding a community picnic during Ramadan to ensuring we have a good partnership with mental health service providers.”

Providing more than just housing

Another success story is found at the John and Jill Ker Conway Residence in Washington, D.C., which opened its doors last winter. The 14-story, 124-unit property was built through public and private partnerships, comprised of over 50 entities in all.

The sleek building provides permanent supportive housing for veterans experiencing homelessness, along with affordable housing for low-income adults. But that’s only the beginning — the project also offers support services for all its residents, including full-time Veterans Affairs case managers on-site, a first of its kind in D.C.

The project is “near and dear” to Katherine Gibson’s heart. She is marketing director at McCormack Baron Management, the Conway’s property manager and sister company to McCormack Baron Salazar, one of the developers of the project.

The company’s mission is to develop and manage quality, sustainable and opportunity-rich communities. They work with market-rate, low-income and public-housing renters to create inclusive communities for everyone, from veterans and seniors to families and children.

The on-site teams undergo specialized trainings to better serve the different populations McCormack Baron serves. There is also a significant compliance process. And while working with low-income or housing-insecure populations comes with nuanced opportunities and challenges, Gibson says that catering to affordable-housing renters isn’t any different than catering to market-rate renters.

“We are proud of our communities and our renters,” she said. “We treat everyone fairly and with respect. We take fair housing very seriously. We develop in areas where other people won’t build, which is why we feel so strongly that it’s important to be inclusive of everyone.”

Barton concludes, “Culture and diversity are always evolving and changing. We seek to learn and understand the cultures and groups we work with today, but tomorrow, they can and will look different. Learning to be culturally competent is like peeling an onion: There will always be another layer to understand.”

A version of this post appears in the April issue of UNITS magazine.