From physical and mental to emotional disability issues, it’s critical to understand who and which conditions are covered legally by the Fair Housing Act and other federal laws. Though we’ve made many strides in recent years, housing discrimination continues to remain a barrier to equal-opportunity home renting and ownership for many individuals and families. This particularly seems to hold true for people who identify as having a disability – whether physically, mentally, financially, or otherwise – as discrimination against these ‘lesser-identified’ subsets is often challenging to pinpoint ..read more

Housing discrimination exists on a vast spectrum and often includes unfair and unlawful bias based on familial status or the fact that an individual has or plans to have a child. Discrimination is not limited to minority groups, insular communities, or based on only one factor, such as race, religion, creed, or national origin. Under the federal Fair Housing Act, housing providers, lenders, landlords, real estate agents, etc. cannot discriminate against an individual/individuals based on familial status. Federal protections of the FHA extend to cover families with children under the age of 1 ..read more

Lending Discrimination makes it illegal for brokers, creditors, and agents to discriminate against individuals based on several factors. Know your rights. Your rights and protections covered by the Fair Housing Act extend beyond just your right to equal housing opportunity, availability, and eligibility. The Fair Housing Act also makes it illegal for mortgage lenders, loan officers, financial partners, etc. to discriminate against someone based on religion, status, national origin, race, color, creed, disability, or sex (including gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexual haras ..read more

Sexual harassment is not tolerated on any level when it comes to Fair Housing, but knowing your rights and what to look out for is imperative to protecting yourself and others. Sexual harassment in housing is a form of discrimination that’s deemed illegal by the Fair Housing Act. It’s also two-pronged, in the sense that it covers individuals in two different ways: Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment: Protects individuals seeking housing from all unwelcome sexual advances, a request for sexual favors, or any other type of sexual conduct as a condition of obtaining, maintaining, using, or enjoying ..read more

How does school segregation – fueled by property lines, income, and zoning – impact the quality of education of our students? What can we do to better diversify our classrooms? Though we, as a nation, have made tremendous progress in terms of creating a more inclusive environment when it comes to our education system in terms of racial equality and inclusion, there’s still a long road ahead of us. More than half of students are in districts considered “racially concentrated,” which is defined as a district that either has more than 75% white students or non-white students. Even more, 2020 dat ..read more

Disabilities are protected by the Fair Housing Act, and laws extend to both physical and mental impairments. Here’s what you should know about mental illness and equal opportunity in housing. The Fair Housing Act protects against a broad range of discriminatory actions, activities, and statements that might be taken to prevent a person from buying, renting, or leasing a home, loaning money for housing purposes, applying for a mortgage, etc. All individuals and entities covered by the Fair Housing Act (such as landlords, real estate agents, and mortgage lenders) may not coerce, intimidate, th ..read more

Immigrants are protected against harassment and discrimination under the Fair Housing Act regardless of immigration status. Here’s what you need to know about protecting yourself and your rights. To some degree, you are likely familiar with the Fair Housing Act and understand that the right to housing that’s free from discrimination is a civil right. Since its original passing in 1968, the Fair Housing Act has made it illegal at both the federal and state levels for landlords, real estate agents, mortgage lenders, and the like to discriminate or make certain housing options unavailable to pe ..read more

The COVID-19 pandemic has made lasting impacts on every area of life, including housing. Ensure your fair housing rights are being upheld during these unprecedented times. Ripple effects from the coronavirus pandemic have touched virtually every aspect of the world as we know it – from education and jobs to day-to-day activities, vacation plans, and living accommodations – no stone seems to be left unturned in at least some way by the virus. The vast economic fallout that we’ve seen play out globally throughout the course of the past year has financially strained households within all econom ..read more

Fair Housing Month reminds us to reflect on steps taken to eliminate housing discrimination, and to continue the fight for equal housing rights and eligibilities for all. Observed each year to commemorate 1968 Fair Housing Act, April is nationally recognized as Fair Housing Month. This time is one that especially reminds us that the principle of fair housing is not only state and national law, but a fundamental human concept that all individuals are entitled to equal housing rights regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, familial structure, and/or gender. It is impo ..read more

Public housing provides living space for low-income families and individuals across the state. Here is what you need to know about housing discrimination and public housing in Alabama. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, public housing was established to provide decent and safe rental housing for parties that might not otherwise be able to afford the cost of living, such as low-income families, the elderly and individuals with disabilities. Public housing comes in all sizes and types, from scattered single-family houses to high-rise apartments and lodgings. The ..read more