Fair Housing

Fair Housing Resources

• WHAT IS FAIR HOUSING?

  Title VIII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act, commonly known as the "Fair Housing Act," prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, purchase, leasing, financing and/or advertising of housing based upon:

  • Race
  • Color
  • Religion
  • Sex (including sexual harassment)
  • National origin
  • Familial status
  • Disability

  *Familial status protects children under the age of 18 living with parent or guardian and pregnant women.

  President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill into law on April 11, 1968 - seven days after the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act also prohibits housing discrimination based on age and marital status. Further restrictions may also be imposed by municipalities pursuant to local ordinance.

  Fair housing is not just an important tool for eliminating discrimination; it also helps to strengthen families, communities, businesses, and our overall economy. Fulfillment of the letter and spirit of the law means that every community can be a place of opportunity where people can live in diverse, inclusive, accessible neighborhoods with quality schools, healthy foods, meaningful jobs, health care, green spaces, quality credit, and the other opportunities that frame and affect our lives.(Source: National Fair Housing Alliance)

  Click here to view more information on your rights under the Fair Housing Act.

• PROMOTING FAIR HOUSING

  FAIR HOUSING BROCHURES

  Sexual Harassment is Illegal
  Your Guide to Fair Housing (English)
  Your Guide to Fair Housing (Spanish)
  Fair Housing: Equal Opportunity for All (English)
  Fair Housing: Equal Opportunity for All (Spanish)
  Fair Housing Act
  MSHDA Housing Locator brochure
  HUD 1686, Fair Housing booklet
  Fair Housing Resources Assistance by County
  Michigan Relay Center brochure (2MB)
  HUD Fair Housing brochure
  Fair Housing and Diverse Communities

  FAIR HOUSING MARKETING

  Equal Housing Opportunity logos
  Equal Housing Opportunity poster (English)
  Equal Housing Opportunity poster (Spanish)
  HUD Fair Housing poster

  FAIR HOUSING VIDEOS

  National Fair Housing Alliance – Seven Days Documentary 50^th Anniversary (history of the Fair Housing Act) – Video
  
  America Divided: Norman Lear – Fair Housing Testing Video
  
  Top 10 Fair Housing Mistakes – Video

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• FAIR HOUSING RESOURCES

  What is Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH)?

  AFFH is a legal requirement that federal agencies and federal grantees further the purposes of the Fair Housing Act. AFFH means taking meaningful actions that address significant disparities in housing needs and in access to opportunity, including:

  • Replacing segregated living patterns with truly integrated and balanced living patterns
  • Transforming racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity
  • Fostering and maintaining compliance with civil rights and fair housing laws

  HUD states in the Summary of its final 2015 rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing that “[t]he Fair Housing Act not only prohibits discrimination but, in conjunction with other statutes, directs HUD’s program participants to take significant actions to overcome historic patterns of segregation, achieve truly balanced and integrated living patterns, promote fair housing choice, and foster inclusive communities.”

  To learn more about HUD's goals to eliminate segregation and discriminatory practices in programs administered with its funds, read:

  AFFH Final Rule
  HUD's Fair Housing Planning Guide

• FAIR HOUSING RESOURCES

  FAIR HOUSING LAWS

  Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 "Fair Housing Act"
  Michigan Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act
  Fair Housing and Anti-Discrimination Laws

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  MSHDA FAIR HOUSING POLICY & GUIDANCE

  MSHDA Fair Housing Policy Statement
  MSHDA Fair Housing Policy Statement template (draft)
  MSHDA Fair Housing Requirements Log (sample)

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  FAIR HOUSING PARTNERS

  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
  Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR)
  National Fair Housing Alliance
  Poverty and Race Research Action Council (PRRAC)
  Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE)
  Fair Housing Centers by County

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  HOW TO FILE A COMPLAINT

  To learn more about fair housing discrimination, please view the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD") YouTube Channel (youtube.com).  If you believe you have been the victim of unlawful discrimination, you can find contact information for your area here to file a complaint.