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HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) has released an online toolkit with LGBTQIA+ fair housing resources.
The toolkit provides information for LGBTQIA+ renters, homebuyers, and housing providers about their fair housing protections against housing discrimination.
The goal of releasing this fair housing toolkit, according to FHEO, is to advance housing equity for LGBTQIA+ individuals.
HUD’s LGBTQIA+ Fair Housing Toolkit has information about:
- Key fair housing laws, regulations, and executive orders related to LGBTQIA+ fair housing protections.
- HUD’s Equal Access Rule.
- Describes the protected housing rights that apply specifically to LGBTQIA+ persons.
- Ways that housing providers can prevent housing discrimination in their daily operations.
- How an individual can report housing discrimination.
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Only 1-in-5 housing authorities promote equity among residents
A new report reveals that only one out of every five HUD housing authorities have pursued initiatives that promote housing equity for disadvantaged groups.
The Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC) report looks at how housing authorities have promoted equity among their residents.
Housing authorities reported that certain groups faced more challenges in leasing units, accessing services, finding jobs, and accessing housing assistance.
Housing authorities identified the following groups having more trouble achieving successful outcomes:
- Persons with mental health challenges.
- Formerly incarcerated people
- Women with children.
- Physically disabled persons.
- Black individuals.
Although more work can be done, more than half of the 83 housing authorities surveyed had taken steps to make sure all of their renters are more successful in using their housing assistance.
Rise in eviction filings and homelessness are connected, research says
A paper published in Housing Policy Debate finds a strong correlation between rising eviction filings and growth in the number of persons living in local shelters the following year. However, the researchers found no correlation between eviction judgments and increased homelessness.
Eviction filings are the first step in the eviction process. This is when renters first get their notice that the landlord has filed for eviction and get their court date. Eviction judgments are the last step in the process, when a judge rules that a family must leave their home.
The authors note that many low-income renters leave after receiving their initial eviction notice rather than contest it in court. Most eviction diversion programs only kick in once a tenant is in court.
The research suggests that targeting assistance as early in the eviction process as possible will help more low-income renters stay in their homes.
April marks the 55th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act
In a statement commemorating the 55th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, President Joe Biden praised the impact of the landmark civil rights legislation while saying we have far to go to meet its promise.
The historic Fair Housing Act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on April 11, 1968. Expanded over the years by Congress, it bans housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), familial status, and disability.
April is National Fair Housing Month. HUD has announced several activities around the country for “advancing equity in housing, combating discrimination in housing, and protecting fair housing rights for all who call America home.”
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