By: Hope Williams, Supervising Attorney The first months of 2022 brought significant news impacting ongoing efforts to address the legacy of discrimination in housing appraisals. In January 2022, the National Fair Housing Alliance and its partners, Dane Law LLC and Christensen Law Firm, published a federally-funded report, entitled “Identifying Bias and Barriers, Promoting Equity: An …
Newsletter Articles
Office of Inspector General Report: HUD did not have Adequate Policies and Procedures for Ensuring that Public Housing Agencies Properly Processed Tenant Reasonable Accommodation Requests
The Office of Inspector General recently concluded an audit of HUD’s oversight of its public housing agencies’ (PHA) reasonable accommodation policies and procedures. The audit was initiated because of an identified increase over an eleven-year period, from 2009 to 2019, in housing discrimination complaints based on a failure to provide a reasonable accommodation, even as …
High Point Housing Authority Settles Discrimination Case; Compensates Tenant Rejected because of Criminal Arrests and Agrees to Adopt Fair Criminal History Policy for All Tenant Applicants
Legal Aid of North Carolina recently settled a housing discrimination complaint against the High Point Housing Authority (HPHA), a public housing authority located in High Point, North Carolina. The complaint was filed with the NC Human Relations Commission (NCHRC) by a 55-year-old Black female whose application for a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher was improperly …
HUD to Review Program Policies, Regulations, and Sub-Regulatory Documents to Eliminate Barriers that Unnecessarily Prevent Individuals with Criminal Histories from Participating in HUD Programs
On April 12, 2022, Secretary Fudge issued a Memorandum recognizing that individuals with criminal histories often face barriers to obtaining and maintaining housing, including public housing, HUD-assisted housing, and HUD-insured housing. The Memorandum also recognized that individuals with criminal histories are also disproportionately racial minorities or people with disabilities. As a result, Secretary Fudge issued …
Listen: Deep Dive: Fair Housing
Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren hosted a Deep Dive segment in April about the Fair Housing Act on NPR’s The Takeaway. The segment covers the history and current state of fair housing in America, including some of the most pressing fair housing issues facing individuals and communities. The show’s featured guests included: Lisa Rice, President and …
State of Fair Housing in North Carolina Report 2000-2020
Discrimination based on disability and race continued to account for the vast majority of housing discrimination complaints filed in North Carolina in 2020, according to the latest edition of State of Fair Housing in North Carolina, a report by the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina. The report examines North Carolina fair …
Interagency Task Force Issues New Guidance on Appraisals & Fair Housing Compliance
On November 17, 2021, HUD issued a Mortgagee Letter (ML Guidance) clarifying the existing requirements for appraisers and mortgage lenders to comply with the Fair Housing Act….Read More
Recent HUD Settlement Updates
HUD announced several notable Conciliation Agreements/Voluntary Compliance Agreements from October to December, 2021, including complaints involving language access rights, landlord liability for neighbor harassment, and COVID-19 visitor restrictions. Summaries are included below. Settlements resolve allegations of national origin housing discrimination and access to housing by tenants with limited English proficiency. On December 28, 2021, HUD …
United States Department of Justice Notice to Public
On October 18, 2021, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina entered a Consent Order resolving a housing discrimination lawsuit brought by the United States against the owners and developers of forty-six apartment…Read More
Curious about Fair Housing Testing?
Fair housing laws prohibit discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or family status (living with minor children). Often, it can be difficult to know if an owner or property manager is telling the truth about housing availability or is offering the same terms…Read More