Latoya Williams says she has been turned down for housing repeatedly by Toronto landlords because of her race.“My credit is good; I have a good job. My yearly income is over $80,000. I’m established. I look great on paper. But once people found out I was Black, it was just roadblock after roadblock,” says Williams, 38, a digital content editor in Toronto who works for a national television news station.One landlord who had a home for rent in Markham and who initially was quite positive on the phone was “hesitant” and aloof once Williams showed up to look at the three-bedroom, $1,800-a-month unit that was listed, Williams recalls.“On the phone he sounded like he liked us. He said come see the place, I’m happy to rent to you,” Williams says. But once she got there, she says the landlord had “this weird vibe.” She says she got a phone call from the landlord the next day saying she and her husband “weren’t the right fit” and he decided to go with somebody else. The 2017 incident, she says, is typical of her experience looking for places to rent.Frustrated, she decided to launch a directory on Facebook aimed at helping Black people and people of colour facing barriers finding rental accommodations in and around Toronto. It’s called the Black Housing Directory (Renting While Black) and it has nearly 2,000 members, including renters, landlords, paralegals and real estate brokers.While there are many Black landlords in the directory, not all are Black. But the key is they have an inclusive attitude and are willing to rent to people of colour, including LGBTQ people — individuals facing hurdles finding places to live, Williams says.The existence of the forum is yet another sign that housing discrimination — especially toward Black people — remains an ugly reality in and around the city, experts point out.“The Ontario Human Rights Code does prohibit landlords from d ...
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