Skip to main content

The Federal Government Is Weaponizing the Fair Housing Act:

 The Op-Ed argues that the Trump administration is reshaping the Fair Housing Act to fit its own political agenda, targeting Boston, Minneapolis, and Washington State over housing policies meant to address historic racial discrimination. By insisting on “color-blind” policy and investigating claims of “reverse racism,” the administration is challenging local efforts to expand fair housing.

The authors focus less on the federal threat than on how communities are responding. They point to three strategies: investing in community land trusts, using Special Purpose Credit Programs to help historically excluded borrowers access homeownership, and standing firm against federal pressure through local organizing and policy reform.

Examples from Boston and Meadville, Pennsylvania, show that resistance is not limited to major cities. Despite federal pushback, many local governments and grassroots groups continue to advance fair housing goals. The piece ultimately presents a hopeful message: even as national protections come under attack, communities still have tools to fight housing discrimination from the ground up.

https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/federal-government-is-weaponizing-the-fair-housing-act-we-must-fight-back

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SunTrust $21Million Settlement with DOJ

This past Thursday, Businessweek covered a massive settlement in a federal lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in SunTrust’s lending practices. The suit, filed by the US DOJ, was filed in the U.S. District Court in Richmond, VA, alleging more than 20,000 African-American and Hispanic borrowers were charged more than similarly-situated and qualified non-Hispanic white borrowers, between 2005 and 2009. The suit alleged that minority borrowers in 75 geographic markets from Virginia Beach, VA to San Francisco, CA, paid more in loan fees, or were charged higher interest rates based solely on race or national origin. A consent order filed with the complaint says SunTrust denies any wrongdoing, but agreed to the settlement. "SunTrust strongly believes in the principles of fair lending," company spokesman Mike McCoy in Atlanta said. "We are pleased to have reached a settlement and put this matter behind us." Settlements like this come as a surprise, considering the...
6 comments
Read more

Housing Discrimination Alive and Well in the 21st Century

Some people are in denial that in this day and age, discrimination simply does not exist anymore. Taking things at face value, one can see how an individual may be lulled into a false sense of security – legislation designed to protect minorities, affirmative action, et cetera, exist for the advancement of colored peoples in this nation. However, according to a recent study by the Consumer Action group , all is not fair in home and housing. Consumer Action contacted 5,000 community organizations across the country, compiling information from 549 respondents, who reported “serious issues with housing discrimination.” The survey shows that immigrants, the disabled, and families with children aren’t welcome in some places, and that “immigrants face the greatest hardships in finding legal recourse for housing discrimination.” One reason, Consumer Action claims, may be cultural barriers. Non-English-speaking minorities could be left out in the cold by unfair housing practices. The study ...
4 comments
Read more

US Supreme Court To Hear Disparate Impact Claim

On November 7, 2011, the US Supreme court granted certiorari in Gallagher v. Magner , 619 F.3d 823, 829 (8th Cir. 2010) cert. granted, 10-1032, 2011 WL 531692 (U.S. Nov. 7, 2011). The case arose out of the Eighth Circuit when several owners and former owners of rental properties in St. Paul, Minnesota brought consolidated actions, challenging the City of St. Paul's enforcement of its housing code. In 1993, the City enacted the Property Maintenance Code which “[e]stablishes minimum maintenance standards for all structures and premises for basic equipment and facilities for light, ventilation, heating and sanitation; for safety from fire; for crime prevention; for space, use and location; and for safe and sanitary maintenance of all structures and premises.” To enforce the code, the City established the Department of Neighborhood Housing and Property Improvement (“DNHPI”) as an executive department responsible for administering and enforcing the Housing Code. DNHPI was empowered to ...
4 comments
Read more