Human Rights Commission - September 18, 2025

The Regular Meeting of the Human Rights Commission of the City of Fargo, North Dakota, was held in the Commission Chambers at City Hall at 12:00 p.m., Thursday, September 18, 2025.

The Human Rights Commissioners present or absent were as follows:

Present: Sekou Sirleaf, Kristin Nelson (via conference call), Carolyn Becraft, Aaron Kawreh, Nancy Boyle, Tambah Saah, Cody Severson.

Absent: Xavier Welty, Ritchell Aboah.

Others: Brenda Derrig, Administration

Item 1. Welcome and introductions:

Item 2. Approve or amend agenda:
o Ms. Boyle moved, second by Ms. Becraft to approve the agenda. All the members present voted aye and motion was declared carried.

Item 3. Approval of July 17, 2025 an August 21, 2025 meeting minutes:
o Ms. Boyle moved, second by Mr. Saah to approve the minutes of the July 17, 2025 and August 21, 2025 meetings. All the members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.

Item 4. High Plains Housing
o Kelly Gorz, an independent fair housing consultant and former associate director for the High Plains Fair Housing Center (HPFHC), spoke on behalf of Michelle Rydz, HPFHC's executive director, who was unable to attend. She said HPFHC is the only fair housing nonprofit in North Dakota. It serves both North and South Dakota, focusing on three key areas:
o 1. Education: Training housing providers, individuals and community groups on fair housing rights and responsibilities.
o 2. Enforcement: Ensuring compliance with federal and state fair housing laws.
o 3. Advocacy: Assisting individuals with filing complaints, mediating issues with landlords, and generally helping people exercise their rights.
o Fair housing means that all individuals have a right to access housing free from illegal discrimination, she said, and the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 protects against discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and familial status. North Dakota State law provides additional protections for marital status, age and receipt of public assistance, she said, and some key statistics and impacts starting in 2024 include: Over 3,500 housing providers and consumers trained across North Dakota on rights and responsibilities; more than 16,000 education materials have been distributed in seven different languages; and over 370 phone calls specifically related to fair housing issues. She said there were also 93 intake calls from Fargo residents reporting possible housing discrimination.
o The most common form of discrimination reported in Fargo relates to disability, she stated, specifically the denial of access, reasonable accommodation or modification. However, calls have covered nearly all protected classes, with residents also citing issues related to race, sex, national origin, familial status and public assistance, she said.
o HPFHC often resolves issues through mediation and advocacy before they escalate to a formal complaint, she stated. In a past year, for example, the organization mediated and resolved about 280 of over 370 fair housing calls, with only 14 resulting in filed complaints, she said.
o Ms. Becraft noted that more than 60% of housing in Fargo is rental and asked if there is a correlation between the presence of REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) and issues such as rising rents or difficulty for lower-income people, especially those with public assistance vouchers, to find housing.
o Ms. Gorz said she did not have immediate data to link REITs to discrimination but agreed it was an issue worthy of follow-up. She said when housing is priced out of a voucher's range, it creates inaccessibility for people reliant on public assistance, which can still lead to the loss of access to desired schools, jobs and communities.
o Mr. Kawreh asked about the process for determining the geographical location of public housing and the vetting system for people integrating into the community, citing concerns about recent neighborhood violence.
o Ms. Gorz said that cities receiving federal funds such as CDBG have a responsibility to affirmatively further fair housing. This includes ensuring they do not create segregation by concentrating public housing or minority residents in one area, but instead work to integrate communities, she said. If concentration is observed, HPFHC can investigate and offer recommendations, she said, and not speak to a specific resident vetting system, but focused on the anti-discrimination work of the HPFHC.

Item 5. Housing Authority
o Chris Brungardt, Fargo Housing Authority, said FHA addresses the location of housing sites using federal funding, which requires an environmental study. This study reviews concentration of poverty based on census and economic data, he said, prohibiting the use of federal funds in areas that would adversely impact or increase the concentration of poverty and FHA also recognizes HPFHC as a valuable resource and has used them for staff training and worked with them as advocates for FHA clients.
o The role of FHA is to empower people to achieve independence through housing, he said and FHA administers federal HUD programs, providing Section 8 vouchers, affordable housing and public housing. He said FHA has 38 full-time staff members.
o There are currently 204 public housing units located through north, central and south Fargo, he said and there are multiple affordable housing developments underway, including the Lashkowitz site which will offer 110 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units, and a building on 25th Avenue South adding 65 units and the Colonial/Herald Square site, which will be rebuilt over a 5-year time frame following a fire and demolition and will include up to 84 units.
o ROSS/FSS Programs offer supportive services (food, clothing, school supplies) to connect families with needed resources, he said and Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) is a program for public housing clients. When a client's rent share increases due to higher income, the difference is placed into an escrow account and upon completing the program, the client receives the total amount, which FHA has seen used for home down payments, he said.
o Income limits: Eligibility varies by program, typically aligning with HUD guidelines, he said: 80% AMI for Public Housing, 60% AMI for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) programs and 50% AMI for vouchers.
o Background checks: FHA has a one-year look-back for non-mandated violent crimes and drug offenses, he said and immediate denial, which is a Federal mandate, happens with lifetime registered sex offenders or those who manufactured methamphetamine in public housing. Also, he said, all foreign-born applicants must provide immigration documents.
o Mr. Kawreh expressed concern over FHA spending at 103% of its budget ($1 million per month in subsidies with $750,000.00 in reserves). Mr. Brungardt said the immediate plan, if Congress does not increase funding, is to stop issuing new vouchers through attrition, though he is reluctant to remove current participants.
o In response to a question form Mr. Sahh asking about waitlists, Mr. Brungardt said the waitlist is about 600 people, he stated and has been closed for nearly a year. FHA aims for a 6-month to a year wait time, he said, and priority preference points are given to disabled applicants, seniors and Cass/Clay residents.
o Mr. Sirleaf suggested organizing a Housing Day or Town Hall event to bring all housing partners and stakeholders together for a more in-depth discussion, which Mr. Brungardt supported.

Item 6. Habitat for Humanity
o Carissa Mohran said approximately 41% of FM area residents are "cost-burdened" (paying over 30% of income on housing), and 18% pay over 50%. The mission of Habitat for Humanity is to build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. HFH Serves Cass and Clay counties and builds 4-5 homes annually and has built 78 homes since 1991. She said HFH provides affordable homeownership for families who do not qualify for traditional mortgages and are not making enough for the current housing market. The homes are not free, she said and HFH works with many families who graduate from Section 8 programs.
o Applications open annually from July 1st to August 31st and the selection criteria includes:
1. Need: Unsuitable current housing (mold, safety issues) or excessive rent.
2. Ability to pay: Income must be within the 50% to 80% AMI range for example, $57,800 to $92,500 for a family of four and HFH serves as a next-step program for those with stable income and housing stability.
3. Willingness to partner: Families must complete 300 to 550 hours of volunteer work, building on-site, working in the ReStore and taking educational classes on home maintenance/finance.
4. Mortgage: Principal payment is capped at no more than 27% of take-home pay.
5. Interest: Most mortgages are 0% interest.
6. Second Mortgage: The amount the family cannot afford is covered by a second, silent mortgage that only becomes payable if the homeowner sells the house.
7. Funding: Supported by down payment assistance programs, grants, community partners, donors and ReStore sales.
o HFH wants to conduct a Veterans Build but struggles to get veterans to complete the in-depth application process, she said. HFH is also actively seeking affordable land/lots for residential construction, seeking help from the city and community in identifying suitable locations. A major challenge, she said, is finding skilled crew members to guide and lead unskilled volunteers on the build sites. HFH also seeks banking partners to buy its mortgages, providing a lump sum of cash to fund new home builds immediately, she said and HFH needs help finding and acquiring affordable, buildable lots in safe, residential areas.
o She clarified that while HFH prefers 0% interest, selling a mortgage to a bank might result in a low-percent interest rate; however, it would still be more affordable than market rates.
o Ms. Boyle noted the rate of 78 homes in 34 years and suggested HFH has the potential to do more, asking about underlying challenges.
o Carissa reiterated the primary issues are finding skilled volunteers/staff to lead construction and the difficulty in having veterans/unhoused individuals meet the stable income requirements for the "next-step" program.

Item 7. Beyond Shelter
o Dustin Rietsema, Asset Management Director with Beyond Shelter said the mission of Beyond Shelter is developing housing for those most in need. Beyond Shelter's work is founded on the belief that housing is foundational to all aspects of life, he said, providing a safe place to live, call home, and age in place. He said he grew up in Section 8 government housing, therefore, he is motivated to create what he lacked as a child and relieve the burden on individuals and families.
o A video was shown regarding their mission.
o Developments include amenities such as a refrigerator, dishwasher, washer and dryer and a pool table, he said, and Beyond Shelter fosters a sense of community through community rooms, big tables for puzzles and activities organized by an activities director. This big family atmosphere ensures residents look out for each other, he stated. The most rewarding part of the job, he said, is the one-year walk-through, seeing how happy residents are in their new homes.

Item 8 Administrative update:
o None.

Item 9 Announcements:
o Peaceful March Against Violence (Fargo/Moorhead): Mr. Kawreh announced plans for a peaceful march on October 11 with the goal to make a unified statement against violence.
o LGBTQ+ Summit: October 1-3 at NDSU.
o Mr. Sirleaf encouraged sharing event details via the HRC email and reiterated the need for the community to support initiatives against gun violence.

Public comment:
o Christopher Coen spoke.

Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 1:06pm.

Next meeting: October 16.