April 3, 2015
April is Fair Housing Month. The FHA and HUD have made announcements every year at this time to raise public awareness of fair housing laws such as the Fair Housing Act and FHA/HUD policy for equal housing access for all regardless of gender, race, national origin, belief, sexual orientation, disability, family status, etc.
“Every American deserves a fair chance to secure safe and stable housing,” said HUD Secretary Julián Castro, who was quoted in a new mortgagee letter published by the FHA/HUD.
“At the core of everything we do to improve housing opportunities is a firm belief that no family should ever be denied the opportunity to own or rent a home because of what they look like, where they come from, how they get around, how they speak, who they love and other circumstances of life. HUD’s fair housing efforts level the playing field so that folks have a solid foundation upon which they can achieve their dreams and build for the future.”
The mortgagee letter also mentions that 2015 marks the 47th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act. “Through an array of enforcement activities, fair housing policy initiatives, and education and outreach efforts, HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity is taking action against individuals and housing providers that discriminate.”
In 2014, HUD and its Fair Housing Assistance Program partner agencies, “received 8,468 complaints alleging discrimination based on one or more of the Act’s seven protected classes: race, color, national origin, religion, gender, family status, and disability. During that period, the categories with the highest number of complaints were disability and race, respectively. In particular, HUD has had success in combatting lending discrimination as well as various forms of discrimination faced by women and persons with disabilities.”
Joe Wallace has been specializing in military and personal finance topics since 1995. His work has appeared on Air Force Television News, The Pentagon Channel, ABC and a variety of print and online publications. He is a 13-year Air Force veteran and a member of the Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association. He was Managing editor for www.valoans.com for (8) years and is currently the Associate Editor for FHANewsblog.com.
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