Process

Amendments to the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance have expanded the PCHR

jurisdictional responsibilities. Places of public accommodations now include health providers, funeral parlors and schools, as well as a large number of other sorts of businesses and

services. Individuals now also have a private right of action. That means that an aggrieved

party can sue in an appropriate court for a violation of the Fair Practices Ordinance.

In addition, by order of the Mayor [Executive Order # 1-87] there cannot be discrimination

in the delivery of City services as defined by the Fair Practices Ordinance, in much the

same way that discrimination is prohibited in public accommodations [such as movies, hotels, restaurants, barber shops, etc.] doing business within the City of Philadelphia. 

It is extremely important that persons make complaints of discrimination on a timely basis. There is a 300-day statute of limitations, which means

that a complaint must be made within 300-days of the last act of discrimination in order for

the PCHR to be able to accept it.

An Intake is the first step for persons seeking assistance from the either the  Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR) or the Philadelphia Fair Housing Commission (PFHC).

The Intake interview is a detailed and confidential process that is designed to determine if a client has a jurisdictional complaint that could be addressed by either the PCHR or the PFHC.

An Intake staff member will carefully review a client's concern and refer the client to one of

the Commission's programs, refer the client to a more appropriate public or private agency,

or, if Staff determines that there is no proper agency, assess the problem with the view to providing the client with the necessary information to resolve the problem on his or her own.

Persons may contact the Commission at 215-686-4670, Monday through Friday, from

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. They may come to Center City office at The Curtis Center, 601 Walnut Street, Suite 300 South, or the North Philadelphia Field Office at 601 Lehigh Avenue,

215-685-9761. While no appointment is necessary, persons are invited to come no later than 4:30 p.m. to allow for a complete interview. No charge for services rendered.

If someone calls for intake information, that person will be told that if this is an employment case, the person should try to get to our office by 3:00 - 3:30 p.m. due to the lengthy intake interview. With that said, there is a full commitment by the intake staff and their back up colleagues to accommodate people for interviews. If someone can only come to our office at 4:30 p.m. and the person's case is time sensitive, or if the person cannot return the next day, then the person's intake will be completed that night. Likewise, if someone cannot come in

until 5:00 p.m., we will try to interview the person that night. And, of course, we will always accommodate people's disabilities if they cannot come into our office at all. 

If the Intake interview indicates that a Compliance Complaint is in order, the notes of that interview are directed to the Compliance Division for review. If accepted, the complaint is

then assigned to a Staff person for investigation. It is imperative that the Compliance

Complaint be taken in 300-calendar days of the date of the act of discrimination. After that,

the Commission loses its legal powers over the complaint.

If the intake interview indicates that a complaint is in order, the notes of that interview are directed to the Community Relations Division for review. If accepted, the complaint is then assigned to a Staff person for investigation. The circumstances surrounding the conflict are carefully reviewed and a determination is made as to what form of intervention the PCHR

should provide.

The Dispute Resolution Program (DRP) provides mediation, conciliation, counseling, and

referral services to persons in conflict with other persons with whom they have an ongoing relationship. Generally, these are neighbors, although some cases have involved street

vendors, businesses, coworkers or members of fraternal organizations. The DRP techniques

are based on the principal of minimal intervention. We do not provide solutions to conflicts

and we do not solve problems for people. Rather, we provide people with skills and abilities

to resolve conflicts on their own, and the tools they need to make those skills work.

The Respondents and the Complainants are considered equally our clients. The discussions

with the Respondent have the same purpose as the discussions with the Complainant -- too

see how the parties, as much on their own as possible, can resolve the dispute.

Some times it is necessary for the parties to sit together to work out an agreement. The DRP then provides a formal mediation conducted by an experienced Staff Mediator. The parties

are assisted by the mediator in identifying the nature of the conflict and developing a written, legally binding agreement that describes their future relationship. All involvement's with the

DRP are strictly confidential.

Inter-Group Tension

An Inter-Group Tension incident can be defined as a situation where violence or antisocial behavior is directed at or threatened to be directed at an individual or group of individuals because of their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, presence of children, or source of income. Trained Staff act as organizers, mediators, trouble shooters and peacemakers to help residents and their organizations identify the root causes of neighborhood tensions, and to work collectively to alleviate these tensions and conflicts.

Staff works closely with the police districts and the Police Department's Conflict Prevention

and Resolution Unit. Staff are on call through the City Hall Operator 24-hours a day, 7-days

a week. At any time, Staff are able to provide assessment, intervention and conciliation

services during crisis, and rapid follow-up services directed to the establishment of long-term resolutions.

Staff are assigned to geographic areas of the city that roughly correspond to the grouping of neighborhoods. They use a number of techniques to establish working relationships with community organizations and institutions in order to develop mechanisms that allow persons

of different group identities to live together harmoniously. In addition, Staff are assigned

liaison duties with various ethnic, religious and language groups.

If the intake interview indicates that a Fair Housing Complaint is in order, the notes of that interview are directed to the Philadelphia Fair Housing Commission (PFHC) for review. If accepted, the complaint is then assigned to a Staff person. All parties involved in the complaint are notified and a Hearing before the PFHC Commissioners is scheduled.

An Order or results of the Hearing is formalized and written notification is mailed to all  involved parties.