By Cooper Smith
The Long Island Board of REALTORS®, Inc. (LIBOR) hosted a Fair Housing Conference earlier this month at the Heritage Club in Farmingdale, in partnership with the Long Island Housing Partnership and the New York State Association of REALTORS®. The event brought together more than 160 members for training on housing laws, civil rights protections and strategies for reducing bias in real estate practices.
“Fair and equal access to housing is not just a law — it is a cornerstone of our profession and a fundamental right for every individual and family,” said LIBOR President Mark Donnelly, who spoke at the event.
LIBOR CEO Doreen Spagnuolo said promoting fair housing is essential to maintaining consumer trust and community integrity.
“We empower our members with tools and training to champion fair housing every day — from required continuing education and in-depth bias awareness programs to legal guidance and advocacy at every level of government,” Spagnuolo said.
The association has also met with local elected officials to advocate for housing access and affordability. Suffolk County Executive Edward Romaine presented LIBOR with a proclamation recognizing its fair housing efforts, as wekk as Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.
Beyond Fair Housing Month, LIBOR continues its “Home for All of Us” campaign — an educational initiative aimed at both real estate professionals and the public. The campaign’s website, homeforallofus.org, offers resources on making informed and lawful housing decisions.
LIBOR’s Government Affairs Committee said it is also working to strengthen housing laws around co-op sales in Nassau County and New York City, and recently submitted testimony in Suffolk County to support housing programs for first responders.
“Fair housing isn’t just something we celebrate in April,” Spagnuolo said. “It’s something we live and practice every day.”