October 23, 2015
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued a press release about a proposed new rule that would create new, formal and standardized claims procedures for discrimination complaints in connection with housing transactions.
HUDNo.15-136 was released Wednesday, October 21, 2015, stating, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it is issuing a proposed rule that would formalize standards for victims of harassment in housing to bring claims under the Fair Housing Act.”
HUD’s proposed rule, called Quid Pro Quo and Hostile Environment Harassment and Liability for Discriminatory Housing Practices under the Fair Housing Act, was published in the Federal Register and is open to comments by the public for a limited time.
“A home should be a refuge where every woman and man deserves to live without the threat of violence or harassment.The rule HUD is proposing is designed to better protect victims of harassment by offering greater clarity for how to handle a claim against an abuser,” said HUD Secretary Julin Castro, who was quoted in the HUD press release.
Standardized claims would go a long way toward making the entire process easier to access and understand. And the nature of such claims is often surprising. According to the press release, “Sexual harassment is the most common form of harassment complaint received by HUD.”
As the press release notes, any type of harassment related to housing transactions, “threatens a resident’s sense of safety and privacy in their own home, and there can be little opportunity to escape such harassment unless the individual or family moves.In HUD’s experience enforcing the Fair Housing Act, low-income women, often racial and ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities, may be particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment in housing.”
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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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