Fair Housing Training

Wednesday, April 29, 2026 - 1:00pm

Fair Housing Training

Wednesday, April 29, 2026
1:00 - 5:00 PM

The Ohioan Hotel & Event Center
100 Green Meadows Drive, Lewis Center, Ohio

Reaffirm your commitment to equitable communities and strengthen your capacity to administer programs lawfully, effectively and inclusively. Sign up for OCCD’s April 29, 2026 Fair Housing Training!

April is nationally recognized as Fair Housing Month, commemorating the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act and reaffirming our shared commitment to equal access to housing. In recognition of this important milestone, housing and community development professionals from across Ohio are invited to attend a comprehensive fair housing training on April 29, 2026, designed specifically to address the practical and legal responsibilities of local governments and housing providers.

Fair housing laws- including the federal Fair Housing Act and Ohio housing protections- prohibit discrimination in housing. For housing and community development professionals, a strong understanding of these laws is essential. Whether administering federal funds, developing housing policies, managing programs, reviewing zoning decisions, or responding to resident concerns, your work plays a critical role in ensuring equal access to housing opportunities and preventing discriminatory practices.

This training will explore key legal requirements, common compliance challenges, reasonable accommodations and modifications, affirmatively furthering fair housing obligations, compliant processes and local implementation. The training will be presented by the Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio, a recognized leader and expert in fair housing law. With extensive experience representing clients, advising local governments and addressing systemic housing issues, the organization brings both deep legal expertise and practical insight. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from Kristen Finzel Lewis, Advocacy Director for Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio’s (LASCO) rural service area. She joined LASCO (then SEOLS) in 2001 and became a senior staff attorney in 2010. She is responsible for leading systemic advocacy efforts across the LASCO service area, in collaboration with each of the LASCO offices. Kristen works closely with substantive law team leaders to help shape community advocacy and support litigation efforts. As part of the LASCO Senior Leadership Team, Kristen also works with other leaders in the program to support the development of LASCO attorneys, address gaps in legal services to low-income and marginalized communities and bring greater awareness of legal rights and remedies to the clients and communities across LASCO’s service area.  

Bar Admissions and Activities
-      Tuscarawas County Bar Association (Past President), Member 

• Ohio State Bar Association, Member 
• Rural Practice Subcommittee, Member

       Education

• The College of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law (J.D., 2001) 
• Westminster College (B.A. in Political Science, cum laude, 1997)

Payment in advance is required; please make full payment prior to the event.