11/28/2023 0 Comments A bumpy road to action researchAnd not just point us, but actually get us moving,” says Debby Goldberg, vice president of housing policy and special projects at the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA). “We’ve got finally, hopefully, a framework that will, at least within the context of HUD programs, point us in the right direction. The rule also aims to streamline the cumbersome planning process and strengthen jurisdictions’ community engagement requirements, among other changes. Those could include zoning rules that prevent construction of affordable multifamily apartment buildings in suburban neighborhoods with good schools and transit access, or a pattern of siting polluting industries in communities of color, for example. The proposal is an administrative regulation and does not bring any new funding for implementation.īut the enforcement effort would be aided by a new public complaint process, which would offer a simple way for anybody to alert HUD of AFFH violations the agency should investigate. Thousands of jurisdictions will be required to submit Equity Plans every five years for review and revision, as well as annual updates describing their progress. The success of the rule will depend in part on the capacity of the perennially understaffed and arguably underfunded HUD to manage a flood of fair housing plan submissions. “We actually expect this rule to result in meaningful actions being undertaken all across the country, to finally fulfill the promise of Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing that was established in 1968,” said Demetria McCain, HUD’s principal deputy assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity, during a press conference in January. In a comment widely described as a racist appeal to white voters, Trump promised suburbanites “you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low-income housing built in your neighborhood.”įor HUD officials and fair housing advocates, the new rule represents an opportunity not only to revive AFFH but also to put some teeth into a legal concept and an obligation that have never been fully implemented. That regulation was effectively dismantled in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump. HUD adopted its first AFFH rule with a planning requirement for grantees in 1995, and it issued a more rigorous version in 2015. ‘We actually expect this rule to result in meaningful actions being undertaken all across the country.’ It requires that HUD and its grantees not only avoid discriminatory practices, but go further and “ proactively take meaningful actions to overcome patterns of segregation, promote fair housing choice, eliminate disparities in opportunities, and foster inclusive communities free from discrimination.” The proposed new Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule would reinstate a requirement that jurisdictions receiving HUD funding show what they’re doing to address inequitable patterns of housing and other resources.Īffirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, or AFFH, was first established as a mandate for federal agencies by the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The Biden administration in January announced a much anticipated and controversial proposal that would require many cities, counties, and states to reduce segregation and eliminate discriminatory housing policies within their borders. Photo from the Seattle Municipal Archives, via Flickr, CC BY-2.0 A fair housing protest in the Lake City neighborhood of Seattle, in 1964.
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