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Housing advocates respond to HUD Fair Housing Rule

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This week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)  published its proposed Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, which is designed to offer guidance to states and local governments to help them improve affordable housing choices.

“HUD’s commitment to Fair Housing remains as steadfast as ever before and this improved rule reaffirms our mission of giving people more affordable housing options in communities across the country,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson.

“Mayors know their communities best, so we are empowering them to make housing decisions that meet their unique needs, not a mandate from the federal government.”

The purpose of the AFFH rule is to provide HUD program participants with a planning approach to help them meet their obligation to affirmatively further fair housing. The Fair Housing Act requires that communities and public housing authorities take steps to overcome historic racial discrimination in housing segregation and to promote fair housing choice and foster inclusive communities free from discrimination.

The Alliance for Housing Justice, a coalition of organizations seeking to align themselves as legal, advocacy, organizing and policy groups to advance housing justice, believe HUD’s actions are rolling back fair housing, harming millions of economically vulnerable Americans.

“America has never adequately addressed housing discrimination.” said Michael McAfee, PolicyLink president and CEO. “By eviscerating fair housing protections for the 327 million People living in America, President Trump and HUD Secretary Carson are exacerbating the housing crisis in America and continuing this nation’s repugnant tradition of class and racial exclusion. Rolling back AFFH is intentionally cruel and destructive, and it promotes racial segregation,”

“This Administration is hell-bent on making ‘America Great Again’ for people of means at the expense of poor and working-class people – especially people of color,” McAfee added. “This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.“

The new HUD rule is pending publication in the Federal Register. Publication will determine the start of the public comment period. “Our nation is in a moment of incredible change,” said Liz Ryan Murray, project director at Alliance for Housing Justice. “We can afford to make sure everyone has a place to call home. Instead of rolling back civil rights and lining the pockets of billionaire real estate investors and corporate landlords who are creating barriers to prosperity, we urge HUD, Trump and the federal government to take the housing crisis seriously. They should immediately begin to  use their tools and influence to fight housing discrimination, fully implement the 2015 AFFH rule and dramatically increase federal investment in public and social housing.”

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