Fair Housing gets lift from Washington — Marin IJ Readers’ Forum

It’s been a good month for fair housing. The Supreme Court decision three weeks ago on disparate impact upheld the 2013 Housing and Urban Development department rule clarifying the use of disparate impact analysis, affirming that even unintentional discriminatory policies are against the law.

Last week, the administration released a new rule that empowers cities and towns and facilitates local decision-making on fair housing priorities and goals. HUD will provide invaluable tools to help localities address systemic patterns of housing discrimination and residential segregation, including mapping and other data on housing and neighborhood conditions.

This will not impose any new obligations on municipalities; the responsibilities laid out in the new rules were already part of the Fair Housing Act. Since the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, recipients of federal money have been required to affirmatively further fair housing, meaning that they expand housing opportunities for everyone.

This rule will help prevent discrimination against all persons protected by the Fair Housing Act.

We have made great strides in combatting housing segregation, but there is still much work to be done. The Supreme Court recognized this in its ruling on disparate impact: “The court acknowledges the Fair Housing Act’s continuing role in moving the nation toward a more integrated society.”

HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule will help jurisdictions to be more deliberate and strategic about how they use their housing and community development resources to expand access to opportunity for all residents of our community.

— Caroline Peattie, Executive Director, Fair Housing of Marin