NLIHC, along with the National Fair Housing Alliance and 34 other civil rights and housing organizations, issued a joint statement applauding HUD’s release of the proposed Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule. The rule comes one month after NLIHC and 11 other national organizations sent a letter urging the Biden administration to take immediate action to advance the new proposed rule (see Memo, 12/19/2022).
“Today’s action by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge in releasing an updated Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) proposed rule is an important step toward creating more equitable and affordable housing opportunities and stronger, more viable neighborhoods,” the statement says. “Our organizations urged the Biden-Harris administration to prioritize restoring inclusive fair housing rules that were previously weakened or ignored and that ensure everyone lives in healthy, well-resourced, vibrant communities free from discrimination.”
The statement recognizes that even after the “Fair Housing Act” was passed 55 years ago, housing discrimination has continued to impact all areas of American society. “When Congress passed the Fair Housing Act in 1968,” the statement explains, “it intended for HUD to take active steps to end housing discrimination, eliminate housing segregation and its ill effects, and dismantle systemic racism and inequality to ensure people could have safe and decent housing in vibrant communities. However, a robust framework for enforcing these obligations was not put into place until 2015, finally giving local jurisdictions, public housing authorities, and community stakeholders the process and data needed to identify and redress local barriers to fair housing and equitable opportunity. The Fair Housing Act’s AFFH mandate requires every entity – local governments, states, housing authorities, etc. – receiving federal funding for a housing or urban development purpose, to use those funds, as well as operate all of their programs, in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing opportunities. When used appropriately, the Fair Housing Act’s AFFH provision can reduce racial and gender wealth and homeownership gaps; increase the supply of quality accessible and affordable housing; improve educational, health, environmental, and other outcomes; increase economic opportunities; and benefit thousands of communities and millions of people. By addressing structural inequities, we can build a stronger economy, develop and support more affordable housing options, and maintain a check on inflation, as housing is the single largest expense for the average consumer.”
Read the joint statement at: https://bit.ly/3WnuY5i
Explore other fair housing materials on NLIHC’s Racial Equity and Fair Housing page.