Fair Housing
By Ashley Kim
Why Does Fair Housing Matter?
Finding and securing a proper home is important to anyone living in California. Housing affects our lives in many way and determines our access to resources such as education, work, recreation, and food. This has impacted my community personally as rent is costly in my area. I noticed especially during the holidays, residents in my apartment complex are almost always behind on rent. Every year the bank comes to my house to determine to either keep the cost of rent as is or to raise by what amount they determine. It is distressing to think about the possibility of losing your home. The cost of living is determined by the economic state of California, this is very worrisome due to our current state of our economy and it's constant change.
The Fair Housing Act
The Fair Housing Act prohibits landlords, real estate companies, banks, and homeowners insurance companies from making homes unavailable to persons based on race, sex, religion, origin, family status, and disability. Individuals who believe that they are victims of illegal housing practice can file a complaint with the Housing Department of Urban Development (HUD) or file a lawsuit in a state or federal court on their own accord.
Factors that Affect Fair Housing
Banks or Mortgage Loaners often practice "Redlining", Which is denying credit worthy applicants a housing loan in certain neighborhoods. This is a presumed practice that Mortgage lenders draw red lines around portions of a map that indicate areas or neighborhoods where they do not make loans. In the early 1930s, this practice was used to segregate African Americans from White areas. From my knowledge of my previous class in Psychology of Class and Race, this practice is difficult to prove and housing applicants can still be denied based on their income or credit. Some scenarios are obvious when the applicant can afford a home, but can be passed on an offer by another applicant without reason.
Realtors or Real Estate Agents sometimes practice "Steering" which is an attempt to guide buyers away from or towards a neighborhood or area. This is also hard to prove because a Real Estate agent can simply refuse to show available real estate or make homes unavailable. In addition, it is hard to distinguish whether a real estate agent is advising a prospective buyer or have other underlying motives.
Housing Today
During the pandemic many people have lost their homes due to the economic impact of California. Trump has repealed the fair housing rule this year and has weaken the progress of establishing equal housing opportunities. I want to raise this awareness to my community members and Angelinos that homelessness is becoming a concern in California during these vulnerable times. Housing is becoming more challenging to obtain. Below is a link of a few Covid-19 Housing to have an idea of how the pandemic has impacted people. I hope everyone stays safe during this pandemic.
References
https://www.justice.gov/crt/fair-housing-act-1#:~:text=The%20Fair%20Housing%20Act%20prohibits%20municipalities%20and%20other%20local%20government,Act%20makes%20it%20unlawful%20%2D%2D
https://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/526655831/a-forgotten-history-of-how-the-u-s-government-segregated-america
https://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/supmanual/cch/fair_lend_fhact.pdf
https://digitalcommons.law.utulsa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1395&context=tlr
https://nlihc.org/resource/trump-administration-eliminates-affirmatively-furthering-fair-housing-rule-nlihc-and-other
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/23/894794169/president-trump-to-repeal-obama-era-fair-housing-rule-aimed-to-combat-racial-bia
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