The department may also provide assistance to communities and persons therein in resolving disputes, disagreements, or difficulties relating to discriminatory practices based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, familial status, age, or sexual orientation that impair the rights of persons in those communities under the Constitution or laws of the United States or of this state. The services of the department may be made available in cases of these disputes, disagreements, or difficulties only when, in its judgment, peaceful relations among the citizens of the community involved are threatened thereby. The department’s services are to be made available only upon the request of an appropriate state or local public body, or upon the request of any person directly affected by any such dispute, disagreement, or difficulty.
The assistance of the department pursuant to this section shall be limited to endeavors at investigation, conference, conciliation, and persuasion.