FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          CR
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 1996                           (202) 616-2765
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

SPOKANE HOUSING COMPLEXES THAT TURNED AWAY FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN 
TO PAY MORE THAN $75,000 UNDER AGREEMENT WITH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT


     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The owners and managers of two Spokane,
Washington apartment complexes that allegedly refused to rent
apartments to families with children will pay more than $75,000 in
damages and fines, the Justice Department announced today.
     Under the agreement, filed today in U.S. District Court in
Spokane, the owners and managers of Cedar Springs Estates and Cedar
Creek Village will pay up to $50,000 to the families that were
wrongfully turned away; up to $21,100 to the Northwest Fair Housing
Alliance, a local fair housing group that referred the case to the
government; and $5,000 in civil penalties to the government.     
     In a lawsuit, filed together with the agreement, the Justice
Department alleged that owners and operators of the apartment
buildings--including Cedar Property Management--violated the
federal Fair Housing Act by refusing to rent to families with
children.  It alleged that the apartments, totalling more than 500
units, restricted families with children to the first floor,
resulting in families being turned away.
     "Housing providers should realize that the law protects
families, and we will enforce that law," said James P. Connelly,
U.S. Attorney in Spokane. "By resolving this matter, Cedar Property
Management has now set an example for all housing providers in this
community to follow."
      The Fair Housing Act of 1968, which prohibits discrimi-nation
in housing based on race, color, religion, sex, and national
origin, was amended by Congress in 1988 to prohibit discrimination
against families with children.  
     Connelly said the Justice Department became aware of the
discrimination at all the complexes after receiving a complaint
from the Northwest Fair Housing Alliance.  The housing group had
conducted several "tests" at the complexes to see if they were
complying with federal law.  
     Through testing, pairs of individuals posing as prospective
tenants inquire about the availability of housing.  In these cases,
the housing group sent couples with children as well as couples
without children to rent housing.  By comparing the experiences of
the two families, investigators were able to determine that they
were treated differently.     
     "We are pleased this company has taken responsibility for its
actions and will take steps to compensate those harmed by its
policies," added Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Deval
L. Patrick.
     Last month, the Justice Department sued a Spokane rental
company for allegedly listing certain complexes as off limits to
families with children.  The suit claimed that Computerized--The
Rental Company, and two housing providers who used the company's
services, violated the Act by refusing to rent apartments to the
families.   The two providers owned Pinewood Terrace Apartments,
Aspen Court Apartments, and Riverside West Apartments.  The case
stemmed from similar testing conducted by the fair housing group.
     Patrick said the Justice Department has initiated a similar
testing program across the country.  That program has resulted in
31 federal suits in eight states alleging discrimination not only
against families with children, but against African American and
Native American house-seekers as well.  The suits have resulted in
17 settlements totaling more than $1.9 million in damages and
fines.    
     Families with children who resided or were deterred from
residing in any of the properties listed or in the use of the
services of Computerized--The Rental Company should call the
Northwest Fair Housing Alliance at (509) 838-4710 or the Housing
Section of the Justice Department at (202) 514-6161.  Individuals
who believe they may have been victims of housing discrimination
anywhere else in the country should call either the Justice
Department at (202) 514-4713 or the Department of Housing and Urban
Development's Fair Housing Hotline at 1-800-669-9777.

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