A coalition of 76 non-profits representing civil rights, faith-based and affordable housing groups have called on the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to reverse its two-year suspension on implementing the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) regulation created during the Obama era.
“Americans strongly believe that a ZIP code should not determine a child’s future, and that everyone—regardless of their race or national origin, the language they speak, or whether they have children or have a disability—should have access to the opportunities they need to succeed,” said Shanna L. Smith, President and CEO for the National Fair Housing Alliance. “But we are falling short of achieving that goal. Actions taken over many years by HUD, other government agencies and the private sector have left us more segregated than we were 100 years ago. That has led to concentrated poverty and weaker communities and undermines our prosperity. We need HUD to enforce this important rule, not suspend it.”
“The administration’s abrupt decision to effectively suspend this critical regulation is misguided,” said Diane Yentel, President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “The federal government, states and local communities have been required by law since 1968 to work to undo the segregated communities that federal housing policy created in the first place. Suspending the tools that help communities meet that obligation, without any input from key stakeholders, is a step in the wrong direction.”
The non-profits called on Congress to “provide policy and budgetary oversight” that would “ensure it is delivering on the promise of fair and equitable housing.” Among the groups participating in this coalition are the American Civil Liberties Union, Autism Society of America, California Reinvestment Coalition, Consumer Federation of America, LOCUS: Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors, National Community Reinvestment Coalition, National Council of Churches, National Housing Law Project, National Housing Trust, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Transgender Law Center and United Way Worldwide.
