HUD Scales Back Fair Housing Efforts

What’s the story?

In a detailed report the New York Times documents the many ways in which fair housing enforcement has been curtailed at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under Secretary Ben Carson. The department, and Carson himself, dispute the claim, but offer no details of their efforts that would contradict the assertion.

Here’s a list of changes detailed by the Times:

• Carson order the words "inclusive" and “free from discrimination” from the agency’s mission statement.

• The department has put an indefinite hold on investigations into at least a half a dozen violations of fair housing laws across the country. Issues raised by the investigations include racial segregation, disability access, the reintegration of low-level former prisoners into communities, and the targeting of minorities by Facebook in housing advertising.

• No new "secretary-initiated", or high priority, investigations have been launched since the beginning of Carson’s tenure.

• Carson plans to delay an Obama-era rule requiring local government to develop detailed plans to combat racial segregation in housing. A measure preventing local governments from using federal funds to develop such plans was inserted into the recent $1.6 trillion omnibus spending bill signed into law.

• Department officials downgraded a proposed agreement between HUD and the City of Houston, which ordered the city to approve a housing project aimed at integrating a rich, white neighborhood or pay penalties, to one less stringent.

• Officials instrumental in these prior investigations are reported to be on the way out, to be replaced by new staff supportive of the new mission.

HUD representatives argue that these adjustments are just the inevitable shifting of priorities that come with administration transitions, and not a wholesale philosophical shift. Jereon Brown, a HUD spokesman told the Times, "There is no mission shift. We are, in fact, putting more emphasis in sexual harassment [complaints]. In addition, 60 percent of the fair housing complaints we receive are disability related, and the majority of those have to do with service animals."

What do you think?

Do you think HUD is curtailing their fair housing enforcement efforts, or not? Should fair housing enforcement continue to be at the center of focus for the department? Should Congress hold hearings about changes at the department to make sure civil rights laws are being upheld, or is this, as department officials maintain, just a normal shift of priorities due to administration transition?

Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!

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— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr / Creative Commons)