Housing Advocacy
Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California is actively involved in advocating for better laws and policies to promote equal housing opportunity. We work with government officials, housing providers, media outlets, and other organizations to remove barriers to fair housing at the local, state, and federal level.
Fair Housing Advocates's advocacy goals include:
In courts, meetings with elected officials, corporate board rooms, and the media, Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California is a tireless advocate for fair housing.
Fair Housing Advocates's advocacy goals include:
- Eliminating discriminatory housing practices and policies.
- Improving accessibility in affordable housing for people with disabilities.
- Assisting cities and developers to create inclusive affirmative marketing plans.
- Increasing awareness of housing providers' obligation to make reasonable accommodations or modifications for persons with disabilities.
- Preventing the implementation of zoning or planning decisions that would have a disparate impact on members of protected classes.
- Encouraging housing providers to proactively market new housing to racial and ethnic minorities.
- Assisting jurisdictions and agencies receiving federal funds to affirmatively further fair housing through their policies and marketing
In courts, meetings with elected officials, corporate board rooms, and the media, Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California is a tireless advocate for fair housing.
AFFH
Furthering Fair Housing
The purpose of the Fair Housing Act is twofold: to end housing discrimination and to promote diverse, inclusive communities. The latter concept is known as Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), and is concerned with fair access and equal opportunity. Our nation’s economic progress and competitiveness is best served by diverse, inclusive communities where everyone has access to good jobs, schools, health care, transportation, and housing.
HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule
In 2013, the US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), the federal agency responsible for promulgating and enforcing the rules for the Fair Housing Act, issued a regulation that clearly outlines the process and implementation of the Fair Housing Act’s affirmatively furthering fair housing requirements for participants (states, counties, municipalities, and public housing agencies) of the program.
AFFH and Litigation
HUD enforces the Fair Housing Act, but housing discrimination, segregation, and AFFH cases have also been litigated by private parties. Certain court cases have affirmed that addressing segregation was part of what Congress intended when they passed the Fair Housing Act, and that HUD is authorized and required to address segregation in its program administration.
The purpose of the Fair Housing Act is twofold: to end housing discrimination and to promote diverse, inclusive communities. The latter concept is known as Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), and is concerned with fair access and equal opportunity. Our nation’s economic progress and competitiveness is best served by diverse, inclusive communities where everyone has access to good jobs, schools, health care, transportation, and housing.
HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule
In 2013, the US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), the federal agency responsible for promulgating and enforcing the rules for the Fair Housing Act, issued a regulation that clearly outlines the process and implementation of the Fair Housing Act’s affirmatively furthering fair housing requirements for participants (states, counties, municipalities, and public housing agencies) of the program.
AFFH and Litigation
HUD enforces the Fair Housing Act, but housing discrimination, segregation, and AFFH cases have also been litigated by private parties. Certain court cases have affirmed that addressing segregation was part of what Congress intended when they passed the Fair Housing Act, and that HUD is authorized and required to address segregation in its program administration.
- Antidiscrimination Center of Metro New York, Inc., Plaintiff, -v- Westchester County, New York, Defendant (PDF)
- N.A.A.C.P., Boston Chapter, Plaintiff, Appellant, v. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, et al., Defendants, Appellees (PDF)
- Otero et al., Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. New York City Housing Authority et al., Defendants-Appellants (PDF)
- Department of Housing and Urban Development AFFH Portal
- Proposed Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule (Government Printing Office PDF)
- HUD Fair Housing Planning Guide (Department of Housing and Urban Development PDF)
- Housing & Community Development Grants: HUD Needs to Enhance Its Requirements and Oversight of Jurisdictions’ Fair Housing Plans (Government Accountability Office PDF)
- Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice Reissuance (Department of Housing and Urban Development PDF)
- Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing in the Community Development Block Grant Program (Department of Housing and Urban Development PDF)
- Fair Housing Agencies eligible for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and other HUD program funding (Department of Housing and Urban Development PDF)
