Fair Housing Rule Reinstatement Is Important in Ending Housing Discrimination

Photo: NFHA

Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued an interim final Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, based on a 2015 rule first issued by the Obama administration.

Following the posting of the rule, Lily Roberts, managing director for Economic Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:

By reinstating the majority of the 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, HUD is taking an important step to address the discrimination that still prevents so many from finding a safe, decent, and affordable place to call home. For decades, deeply entrenched discrimination in the housing market has been a persistent driver of poverty and an obstacle to wealth building for generations of Black, Native, Latinx, disabled, LGBTQ, and other Americans. By reinstating the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, the Biden administration is sending a clear signal that local jurisdictions have a duty to address housing discrimination, while providing them with the resources to do so.

While reinstating this rule is an important step, access to standardized reporting data that can be easily consolidated across jurisdictions is essential to ensuring the rule’s efficacy. We look forward to HUD quickly issuing guidance on how localities can collect and manage data showing that they are actively addressing housing discrimination in their communities and tracking violations. Analyzing and understanding patterns of segregation both within communities and across the country is a core purpose of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule. Accessible, transparent data are essential to preventing housing discrimination and ensuring that residents of all neighborhoods are connected to the opportunities they need to flourish.