NLIHC joins advocates nationwide in celebrating April as National Fair Housing Month. Advancing housing justice requires addressing racial equity, and work continues to be needed to correct the disparities in homelessness and evictions that have arisen from centuries of structural racism. This year, National Fair Housing Month commemorates the 54th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act.
Enacted in 1968, the Fair Housing Act prohibited overt discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, and familial state. However, decades of discrimination have had long-lasting impacts on low-income families, and housing discrimination continues to constrain the housing options for people of color. Likewise, racial disparities exist among homeowners and renters, and particularly among extremely low-income renters, as a result of many racist policies instituted by federal, state, and local governments.
HUD hosted a Fair Housing Ceremony on April 5, at which HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) Demetria L. McCain spoke. View a recording of the Fair Housing Month Ceremony and Celebration at: https://bit.ly/3LPMzOo
Read more about Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH) on NLIHC’s Racial Equity and Fair Housing webpage at: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH).