Racial equity

Brief

Addressing segregation and opportunity

This brief provides background on how we got here, and what communities can do to help address segregation.

Affirmatively furthering fair housing

All jurisdictions that receive HUD funding are required to affirmatively further fair housing. This means taking meaningful actions to overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity based on protected characteristics of raceA social and political construction—with no inherent genetic or biological basis—used by social institutions to arbitrarily categorize and divide groups of individuals based on physical appearance (particularly skin color), ancestry, cultural history, and ethnic classification. (Source.), color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, having a disability, and having a specific type of disability. This brief describes policies in the Housing Policy Library that can be used to support place-based strategies that increase opportunity in racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty and mobility strategies that help to overcome residential segregation.

Reducing housing discrimination

Housing discriminationThe unequal treatment of members of various groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, religion, citizenship status, a combination of those identified, and/or other categories. (Source) persists in American society despite efforts to eliminate it over the 50 years since the enactment of fair housing laws. Over time, discrimination has become more subtle, with housing owners and their representatives often treating prospective renters and buyers differentially rather than explicitly refusing to rent or sell on the basis of race or ethnicity. This brief presents guidance on how communities can take direct steps to address various forms of discrimination.