GREATER HOUSTON FAIR HOUSING CENTER

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH)

On July 8th, 2015, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the release of a fair housing regulation aimed at promoting affordable housing and stable communities.  The rule aims to help jurisdictions that are recipients of federal funds to comply with the existing mandate to “affirmatively further fair housing,” a key provision of the Fair Housing Act designed to encourage communities to use their funds to expand equal housing opportunities.

HUD will provide local policymakers with better data on housing, demographics, and other local conditions, as well as the tools to create locally-appropriate solutions to tackle persistent barriers to fair housing.  This rule will help communities make strategic use of the resources available to them to expand housing choices for people with disabilities, families with children, and other under-served groups. 

Where you live matters, and this rule will help ensure that everyone - regardless of their zip code - has a fair shot at the opportunities they need to succeed.  When Congress passed the Fair Housing Act in 1968, it recognized that government policy had helped to create deeply segregated communities and then starved many communities of the services and amenities that were critical to their health and vitality.  The AFFH rule provides local governments with the tools they need to ensure that every community has access to quality schools, good jobs, public transportation, safe streets, a healthy environment, and other factors critical for thriving neighborhoods.