Suburban Maryland Fair Housing, Inc

Suburban Maryland Fair Housing, Inc. (SMFH) was a voluntary, non-profit organization that existed in Montgomery County, Maryland, from 1962-1990. This organization was founded and maintained by a volunteer group of Montgomery County residents committed to the principle of fair housing. The formation of SMFH coincided with the national movement to promote fair housing (also open housing) that was part of the national civil rights movement which sought to ban all forms of racial discrimination, including discrimination in the purchase or rental of housing. The organizational structure of SMFH took several years to fully develop, but eventually included four officers (president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer), a board of directors, committee leaders, and county agency observes.Suburban Maryland Fair Housing, Inc. (SMFH) was a voluntary, non-profit organization that existed in Montgomery County, Maryland, from 1962-1990. This organization was founded and maintained by a volunteer group of Montgomery County residents committed to the principle of fair housing. The formation of SMFH coincided with the national movement to promote fair housing (also open housing) that was part of the national civil rights movement which sought to ban all forms of racial discrimination, including discrimination in the purchase or rental of housing. The organizational structure of SMFH took several years to fully develop, but eventually included four officers (president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer), a board of directors, committee leaders, and county agency observes. Notable officials of SMFH included: Rev. Dr. J. Wiley Prugh (first president of SMFH), Thomas J. Schwab, John S. DeBeers, Rev. Dr. Philip Wogaman, Peg McRory, Donald E. Jefferson, Rita Morgan, Jackie Simon, B.K. Smerko, and Walter Petzold. ... Throughout... its existence SMFH engaged in fair housing advocacy, testing, education, research, and compliance work regarding housing discrimination. In later years, SMFH expanded its fair housing efforts to include the prevention of housing discrimination based on religion, ethnicity, national origin, sex, marital status, and physical or mental disability. Pursuant to its manifold mission, SMFH also assisted Montgomery County complainants in filing formal complaints with appropriate county, state, and federal agencies. SMFH also initiated a program of monitoring real estate advertisements to assure that real estate companies, advertising companies, and condominium developments complied with HUD fair housing guidelines. Suburban Maryland Fair Housing, Inc. ceased operations in 1990 when many of the functions of the organization were take over by various government agencies in wake of fair housing legislation, and SMFH lost its contract to perform fair housing testing in Montgomery County.

From the guide to the Suburban Maryland Fair Housing, Inc. archives, 1962-1986, null, (State of Maryland and Historical Collections)