Fair housing refers to the right, as established by state and federal law, to choose a place to live without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or children in the household. Housing discrimination and other barriers to fair housing might include the lack of bilingual Realtors and loan officers, lack of accessible housing, and cultural traditions related to credit and finance.
It's different form the issue of affordable housing which is defined by federal standards as housing that costs no more than one-third of a household's monthly income, is a concern for people at many income levels.
"We are hearing from the business community that affordable housing for workers is one of their top priorities and concerns," says Metropolitan Council Chair Ted Mondale.
The report was prepared by the Legal Services Advocacy Project in collaboration with the Institute on Race and Poverty, the Urban Coalition and the Wilder Research Center. It was done under contract to the cities of Bloomington, Minneapolis, Plymouth and SaintPaul; Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington Counties; and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency for the Scott and Carver Counties.
The report identifies such impediments to fair housing in the private rental market as:* Tenant selection practices. This includes refusal of many property owners to rent to tenants with government-funded rental subsidies, high minimum-income requirements, and a requirement by some owners of current employment, which may disproportionatelyimpact persons with disabilities who are unable to work.
* The heavy reliance of owners on tenant screening reports--which are often inaccurate, incomplete or misleading. These reports also lead to fear of eviction, resulting in tenants not contesting improper eviction notices or tenants with disabilities not requesting reasonable accommodations for fear of eviction.
* Costly, duplicative application fees that require prospective tenants to pay for essentially the same tenant-screening information for each rental unit theyapply for.
Public sector policies also greatly impact fair housing, the report says. Land use is one of the most significant policy areas. Affordable housing is kept out of some communities through the use of zoning ordinances and/or fees that discourage or make impracticable the development of affordable housing, the report says.
State and local governments that receive federal housing funds are required to help promote open and inclusive patterns of housing, according to the study.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
