Description
The Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana and an Indianapolis man have filed a class action complaint against two rental companies, highlighting rental screening policies that allegedly discriminate based on race and sex.
Marckus Williams is the plaintiff on the case. He says his record was expunged in 2022. Later that year, when he tried to apply for housing, he was turned away by Tricon Residential and Progress Residential.
"It broke me because, I'm looking for a house, my credit is good, my records expunged," Williams said. "It was just I thought I was a new person. It made me feel like I was same old me."
Williams eventually lived in his car until he found somewhere else to live.
"I slept in the car for about three to four weeks," he said. "Christmas, New Years. I mean, it was just devastating. It kind of broke me a little bit."
The lawsuit claims some of Tricon Residential and Progress Residential's policies automatically deny housing to people with certain criminal or eviction histories.
MORE: https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/rental-screening-policies-allegedly-discriminate-race-sex-indianapolis-indy-discrimination-housing/531-383729fb-1083-4009-84a4-b2bd5b8ded9d