Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing

According to HUD, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Means to:

• • Take action to reduce/eliminate differences in housing choices and in access to opportunity and factors impacted by housing, such as employment and transportation.
  • Make formerly segregated areas into neighborhoods of people with different backgrounds: race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, etc.
  • Transform racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity without relocating current residents of color; and
  • Encourage growth for compliance with civil rights and fair housing laws.

Why is AFFH Important?

• • Fixes past and present segregation in housing.
  • Promotes the idea that people have the right to choose where they live and not be blocked by things like the color of their skin, their gender, and how they choose to worship.
  • Gets rid of current unfair policies and practices affecting protected classes differently and instead have policies and practices that apply to and impact everyone equally.
  • Fosters inclusive communities that welcome everyone and treat members as equals.
  • Achieves neighborhoods that include people with different backgrounds: race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, etc.
  • Reduces racial and ethnic concentrations of poverty.
  • Increases access to homeownership.

As You Can See From These Photos, There is a Great Need for AFFH.

• • • The orange dots represent the White population, green represents the Black population, blue represents the Hispanic population, and purple represents the Asian population.
    • Notice the changes in color concentration over time. What we want to see is a more mixed representation of dot colors throughout the county(s).
    • Instead, we mostly see growing concentrations of the same colors, indicating patterns of housing segregation are continuing, and in some cases worsening, rather than improving.
    • First photo is Orange County 1990 and the second photo is Orange County 2010.

       

  • • In Brevard County, Florida, you will also notice there is little growth in population diversity throughout the entire county.

       

What Do You Need to Do?

HUD Program Participants have a duty to: 

• • • Determine who lacks access to opportunity and develop strategies that address any inequity among protected classes. For instance, pull data or partner with data firms to look at what the income level is among residents across different racial, ethnic, gender, etc., makeups and compare that to the median sales price for housing; Look at home values across the county and evaluate the demographic makeup of neighborhoods at varying income levels; Evaluate the demographic make-up of schools and the conditions of facilities at those schools.
    • Promote integration and reduce segregation.
    • Support housing development in areas of opportunity.
    • Transform racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity.
    • Bring opportunities to areas who previously did not have them (access to county water/sewer; promote business development in segregated neighborhoods, ensure neighborhoods have sidewalks, adequate lighting, access to fresh foods.
  • For more information on what actions can be taken to affirmatively further fair housing, review HUD’s guidance. Locate segregated neighborhoods, evaluate barriers to housing integration, evaluate conditions in segregated areas, document actions to address the issues.

    With AFFH = Everybody Wins

    Chicago Study (Chicago Metropolitan Planning Council and the Urban Institute)

    • • • • • Less crime and less cost to address crime.
            • Higher incomes, particularly for Black residents.
            • Higher educational attainment for Black and White students.

    University of California, Berkeley Study

    • • • • • Reduced pollution, more voices advocating to local government for changes/protections.
            • Better health outcomes.

    Other Considerations

    • • • • • • Less homelessness; increased property values and tax revenue. 
              • More marketable housing.
              • Better health = reduction in healthcare costs, increased life expectancy.