Pass the Housing Fairness Act
Recommendation
Congress should pass the Housing Fairness Act to fully fund nationwide fair housing efforts and increase funds for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program, which provides grants to fair housing organizations to assist people who have been victims of housing discrimination.[1][2][3]
Background/summary
Housing insecurity, which includes lack of affordable housing, overcrowded living conditions, and homelessness [4], is a critical social determinant of health.[5] Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are nonmedical factors in the environments where people are born, grow, work, live, and age that affects a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.[6][7][8] Housing insecurity exposes individuals and families to increased stress and negatively affects mental and physical health.[4][9][10] Mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUDs) impact a person’s ability to obtain or maintain housing, especially when faced with discrimination.[5]
The Fair Housing Act protects people from discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, or disability when they are renting or buying a home, applying for a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other housing-related activities.[11] The number of housing discrimination complaints increased significantly in recent years.[12][13] Despite protections, people with MH/SUDs still face discrimination when searching for housing or requesting reasonable accommodations to provide equal opportunity in housing-related issues.[14][15][16]
Housing discrimination trends underscore the need for increased funding to support fair housing efforts.[13] Congress should pass the Housing Fairness Act to address discriminatory practices that affect those with disabilities, including MH/SUDs.
citations
1. “Rep. Cortez Masto Introduces Bills to Combat Housing Discrimination.” Last Updated March 17, 2021.
2. Housing Fairness Act. H.R. 68 (Green-Barr), 118th Congress, (2023-2024) and S. 769 (Cortez Masto), 117th Congress, (2021-2022). Last Accessed July 4, 2023.
3. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Fair Housing Initiatives Program. Last Accessed July 27, 2023.
4. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. HUD User: Promoting Mental Health Through Housing Stability. Last Updated May 31, 2022.
5. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Social Determinants of Health: Housing. Last Accessed Retrieved July 3, 2023.
6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Healthy People 2030: Social Determinants of Health. Last Accessed July 27, 2023.
7. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Social Determinants of Health at CDC. Last Accessed July 27, 2023.
8. World Health Organization. Social determinants of health. Last Accessed July 27, 2023.
9. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. Evidence Matters: Linking Housing and Health Care Works for Chronically Homeless Persons. Last Accessed July 27, 2023.
10. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. HUD User: Integrating Housing and Health. Last Updated July 9, 2018.
11. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Fair Housing Act. Last Accessed July 27, 2023.
12. National Fair Housing Alliance. New Report Reveals Record Number of Housing Discrimination Complaints. Last Updated November 30, 2022.
13. National Fair Housing Alliance. 2022 Fair Housing Trends Report. Last Updated November 30, 2022.
14. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. Rental Housing Discrimination on the Basis of Mental Disabilities: Results of Pilot Testing. Last Updated August 2017.
15. Dillman, Jeff. People Living with Mental Disabilities Face Significant Rental Housing Discrimination, HUD Study Finds. Legal Aid North Carolina, Fair Housing Project. Last Updated September 19, 2017.
16. Ponte, Katherine. The Many Forms of Mental Illness Discrimination. National Alliance on Mental Illness. Last Updated March 11, 2020.