The proposed rule comes as the nation’s biggest cities are trying to cope with housing crises and as homelessness rates have increased, especially on the West Coast. The Fair Housing Act requires that recipients of HUD funding “affirmatively further” fair housing and equal opportunity but leaves it to the secretary of housing and urban development to decide what that means. The 2015 Obama rule required recipients of HUD funding to work with the agency to assess the state of fair housing in their community. The proposed rule would change how the housing department evaluates whether local governments and housing agencies are advancing its fair housing goals. Fair housing lawsuits by advocacy organizations like the National Fair Housing Alliance would not count against the local entities.

Source: New York Times January 04, 2020 00:22 UTC