The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently took the first step toward restoring an Obama-era Fair Housing regulation by instituting an interim rule that will go into effect at the end of July, following a 30-day public comment period.
The takeaway:
Full restoration of the Fair Housing Act’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule would require HUD funding recipients to “complete an assessment of fair housing issues, identify fair housing priorities and goals, and then commit to meaningful actions to meet those goals and remedy identified issues,” with HUD reviewing each assessment.
What it means:
The interim rule only requires HUD to provide a voluntary process for funding recipients, through which they can identify any fair housing concerns and commit to solving them. HUD says it will provide any support needed to carry out the newly instated voluntary fair housing planning process.
More limited definitions of fair housing, issued in 2020 by the prior Administration, have been revoked. The move is the latest push by the Biden Administration to address racial bias in housing.
“More than 50 years since the Fair Housing Act’s passage, inequities in our communities remain that block families from moving into neighborhoods with greater opportunities,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “As a former mayor and member of Congress, I know firsthand the importance of giving localities the tools they need to ensure their communities have access to safe, affordable housing near quality schools, transportation, and jobs. Today, HUD is taking a critical step to affirm that a child’s future should never be limited by the ZIP code where they are born.”
