Fair Housing Seeks Secret Shoppers

The Fair Housing Center of Washington seeks people to serve as testers who attempt to rent or purchase a home, which enables the agency to determine if there are differences in treatment based upon protected class.

The Fair Housing Center is a civil rights agency that addresses equal housing opportunities in Western and Central Washington. A key program is training and paying fair housing testers to conduct housing transactions.

One of the federal, state and local protected bases for discrimination is national origin. The agency seeks individuals from different countries, particularly Hispanic and Asian testers. The agency also seeks control testers (Caucasian); both men and women. Bilingual testers who are proficient in English are encouraged to apply.

Individuals must have a Bachelor's degree at minimum to participate. There will be a mandatory training held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011 in Tacoma. Testers who attend this training will be paid $200.

Testing is paid on a per site visit, and can range from $40 to $80. Testers are asked to commit to completing three to six tests per week for the next six to nine months. Prior to the tester training, individuals will need to schedule a 45-minute interview at Fair Housing Center's office for screening to ensure they meet the criteria.

Applicants can send a resume and a cover letter to info@fhcwashington.org.