Dear America, it’s time to fulfill the promises of the Fair Housing Act

April is National Fair Housing Month and as the month comes to an in depth, it is crucial that we reflect on the work that continues to be to ensure fair housing for . This is much more vital as we proceed to take a look at a worsening housing and homelessness crisis that disproportionately affects people of color, families with children, women, individuals with disabilities and other members of protected classes. To truly deliver on the promise of fair housing, we must make equitable, long-overdue investments in housing and community development.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act on April 11, 1968, only one week after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The country was still scuffling with this incalculable loss. Just two years earlier, Dr. King had founded the Chicago Freedom Movement to fight housing and economic inequality. It was this movement activity that led to the passage and subsequent passage of the Fair Housing Act.

The Fair Housing Act, as amended, prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, religion, disability and familial status. Unfortunately, as a nation, because we’ve failed to fully fund and implement this law, systemic and blatant discrimination and inequality proceed to plague every aspect of American life.

The passage of the Fair Housing Act also got here after President Johnson famously created the law Kerner Commission examining the dynamics of the race riots that broke out across the country in 1967. The commission’s report confirmed that housing discrimination and institutionalized racism create racial tensions and contribute to the creation of “two societies, one black, one white – separate and unequal.” The commission made several key recommendations on housing, including significantly increasing the supply of inexpensive housing for low-income families and opening up access to white neighborhoods for people of all races, something we’ve not yet achieved. It is not any wonder that persistent housing discrimination and unequal community development remain the cause of many racial and economic injustices in America.

Over the years, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and native fair organizations received housing record levels housing discrimination complaints reported every year, including greater than 33,000 in 2022 alone. But we all know that discrimination is woefully underestimated. At least in 2018 1 in 4 peopleor 68 million, felt they were treated in a different way when searching for housing because of their status as a member of a protected class under the Fair Housing Act.

Other barriers, e.g redlining, exclusion zone and land use ordinances proceed to prevent members of protected classes from accessing decent housing. It’s the same in lots of communities across the country more segregated today than in 1990, further widening racial and ethnic gaps in poverty, wealth and residential ownership. Actually, Black and Latino renters are twice as likely to be evicted compared to white tenants they usually are overrepresented amongst the homeless population. Our nation also faces widening racial wealth and homeownership gaps, with the average net value of homeowners – who’re more likely to be white – being 40 times greater than that of renters. Meanwhile, in the case of disabled people, the possibilities of integration and housing availability are severely limited, including: data showing that lower than 1% of U.S. homes are wheelchair accessible and only 5% are accessible to individuals with moderate disabilities. We even saw it some local governments proceed to use federal housing and community funds in discriminatory ways in which violate the Fair Housing Act.

While the Fair Housing Act has undoubtedly expanded housing and economic opportunities for tens of millions of families across the United States, President Johnson said it best himself: “We’ve come some way, not almost all of it. There is still a lot to do.” That’s why I proceed to work closely with my colleagues in the House to fight for historic investments that can make this goal a reality. While Democrats secured greater than $20 million in fair housing enforcement investments through the American Rescue Plan Act, rather more is required.

Last 12 months, I reintroduced my historic housing package to proceed our efforts, including the Housing Crisis Response Act, the Ending Homelessness Act, and the Home Equity Downpayment Act. Together, these bills represent the largest and most comprehensive investment in fair and inexpensive housing in U.S. history. I call on our nation’s leaders to work with me to help address the urgent need to end the U.S. housing crisis and fulfill the promise of fair housing for all.