Published: August 2021

HUD to tackle systemic racism and housing discrimination

Advocates joined together to support the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) decision to reinstate its Discriminatory Effects Standard, which ensures that housing practices that appear neutral in their design do not create or perpetuate discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion and other characteristics protected under the Fair Housing Act. During the Trump administration, HUD gutted this critical civil rights protection and made it nearly impossible to seek redress for fair housing violations that had discriminatory effects. HUD’s announcement today ensures that strong protections against discriminatory housing practices are clear and remain the law of the land.

U.S. Housing Secretary Marcia L. Fudge announced that the Department of Housing and Urban Development will reinstate fair housing regulations created under President Obama that had been gutted under President Trump. The decision attempts to address systemic racism and fair access to housing. Obama’s 2013 disparate impact rule required the housing industry to explain the use for criminal background checks and the use of artificial intelligence to predict creditworthiness—practices that have historically adversely impacted Blacks and Latinos.

Lead Organization

Americans for Financial Reform (AFR)

Other Organizations

Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund | California Reinvestment Coalition | Center for Community Progress | Center for Responsible Lending | Coalition on Human Needs | Community Legal Services of Philadelphia | Consumer Action | Consumer Federation of America | Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety | Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council, Inc. | Habitat for Humanity of Camp County, TX Inc. | HPP CARES CDE | Integrated Community Solutions, Inc. | Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc. | Japanese American Citizens League | Kentucky Resources Council, Inc. | Manufactured Housing Action (MHAction) | MICAH- Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing | Mountain State Justice | National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders | National CAPACD- National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development | National Coalition For The Homeless | National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients) | National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) | National Fair Housing Alliance | National Housing Resource Center | New Jersey Citizen Action | Northwest Fair Housing Alliance | Pisgah Legal Services | Prosperity Now | Public Good Law Center | Savannah-Chatham County Fair Housing Council, Inc. | South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center | Southeastern Ohio Legal Services | Texas Appleseed | U.S. PIRG | United Way of Metropolitan Dallas | Woodstock Institute

More Information

To read the letter in full, please click here.

For more information, please visit AFR’s website.

 

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