Fifty years after the signing of the Fair Housing Act, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has declared April as Fair Housing Month and will remember the anniversary with a signing April 11 in Washington.
HUD Secretary Ben Carson said the Fair Housing Act remains a centerpiece of the work HUD is doing to ensure fair, inclusive housing, free from discrimination for all Americans.
“It was a seminal moment in our country’s history when the ideals of equality and fairness were embodied in a law that continues to shape our communities and our neighborhoods 50 years later,” Carson said in a press release. “But the promises of the Fair Housing Act require our constant vigilance to confront housing discrimination in all its forms and to advance fairness on behalf of those seeking their American dream.”
Co-sponsored by Sens. Edward Brooke and Walter Mondale, the Fair Housing Act sought to end residential segregation and ensure all Americans had access to safe and decent housing. The Act originally prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing based on color, race, national origin and religion. Later, the Act was amended to prohibit discrimination based on sex, disability and familial status.
In signing the landmark measure, President Lyndon Johnson declared: “Now, with this bill, the voice of justice speaks again. It proclaims that fair housing for all, all human beings who live in this country, is now part of the American way of life.”
HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity continues to take action against individuals and housing providers that engage in discrimination. Last year, HUD and its partner agencies received more than 8,000 complaints alleging discrimination based on one or more of the Fair Housing Act’s seven protected classes.
People who believe they have experienced discrimination may file a complaint by contacting HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at 800-669-9777 (voice) or 800-927-9275 (TTY). Housing discrimination complaints may also be filed at www.hud.gov/fairhousing.
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