FORT MYERS, Fla. (April 3, 2014) – As part of Fair Housing Month in April, the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers along with the Lee County Department of Human Services will be hosting the Southwest Florida Annual Fair Housing Summit on Wednesday, April 16.

This free event is open to the public and will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Dr. Carrie Robinson Community Center located at 2990 Edison Avenue in Fort Myers.

Fair Housing Month celebrates the anniversary of the passing of the Fair Housing Act in 1968 that prohibits discrimination regardless of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin.

The summit will include guest speakers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity providing information on the Fair Housing Act, reasonable accommodations in rules and policies, emotional support animals, special parking requests, and fair housing rights of persons with disabilities under the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act. The speakers will also conduct a discussion on the difference between laws and respective accessibility standards while providing Q&A opportunities on all topics.

Doors open at 9 a.m. A continental breakfast will be available before the conference begins.

To reserve your seat, contact Sherri Campanale, director of Housing & Maintenance Operations at the HACFM at 239-344-3247 or sherri@hacfm.org.

The HACFM serves as a catalyst for increasing access to safe, affordable housing and to help develop, preserve and revitalize communities through affordable rental housing. The agency is dedicated to empowering families with the means to become as self-sufficient as possible, encouraging and facilitating movement toward financial independence beyond the need for HACFM services, while recognizing the needs and limitations of the mentally and physically disabled, aged and infirmed.

The HACFM provides high-quality, stable and sustainable housing and related services to people in need. In addition, the staff works diligently in providing programs such as Resident Services/Family Self-Sufficiency and HOPE VI Community Supportive Services. The goal is to help families become self-sufficient, therefore strengthening the communities that use public and private resources efficiently and effectively.

The HACFM aims to instill pride and a desire for an enhanced quality of life for families and serves the greater Fort Myers community in a manner that demonstrates professional courtesy, respect and caring.

For more information, call 239-344-3220 or visit www.hacfm.org.