April is National Fair Housing Month!

On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act (FHA) that protects people from being discriminated against because of their of race, national origin, color, religion, sex (sexual orientation and gender identity.), familial status, or disability. People are protected by the FHA when they are renting or buying a home, seeking a mortgage, getting housing assistance or engaging in any other house-related transactions. Every April we commemorate the passage of the Fair Housing Act and in April 2024 it’s the 56^th anniversary.

Did you know?

• You cannot be denied an assistance animal if you meet certain conditions.
• You cannot be denied reasonable accommodation to enjoy your dwelling, public and common use areas.
• You cannot be denied reasonable modifications of existing premises in order to fully enjoy the premise.
• A real estate agent cannot steer you to one neighborhood or area.
• Housing rules cannot unfairly target immigrants.
• You cannot be required to show extra forms of identification to apply for housing like a green card, passport or social security card.
• You cannot be denied or evicted from housing because you have a child.
• Families cannot be restricted to one area of a building or complex.
• You cannot be denied a mortgage or charged a higher interest rate because you are pregnant or because you take maternity leave.

The 2023 Fair Housing Trends Report published by the National Fair Housing Alliance received 33,007 fair housing complaints in 2022. This was the highest number of complaints reported in a year. Discrimination because of disability continues to be where the highest number of fair housing complaints come from, making up 53.26% of all fair housing complaints by protected class. Fair housing complaints based on source of income and domestic violence increased in 2022.

Where does the fair housing act apply? What is prohibited? What are potential signs of discrimination? Can I attend a class on my fair housing rights? Are there fair housing resources available? To receive answers to these questions visit our fair housing page at https://seriaz.org/fair-housing/

How can I file a fair housing complaint? Have you been discriminated against in housing on the basis of race, national origin, color, religion, sex, familial status, or disability? If you have suffered housing discrimination speak up, you have rights! Contact our fair housing complaint inquiry hotline by calling (520) 306-0938 or completing an online form.