The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

The Future of Fair Housing

• Table of Contents
• About the Commission
• Acknowledgements
• Executive Summary
  • Recommendations
• Introduction
• I. Housing Discrimination and Segregation Continue
• II. Fair Housing Enforcement at HUD is Failing
• III. Fair Housing Enforcement at the Justice Department is Weak
• IV. The Need for Strong Fair Housing Programs
• V. Fair Housing and the Foreclosure Crisis
• VI. Federal Housing Programs
• VII. Fair Housing Obligations of Federal Grantees
• VIII. Regionalism and Fair Housing Enforcement
• IX. The President's Fair Housing Council
• X. Fair Housing Education: A Missing Piece
• XI. The Necessity of Fair Housing Research
• XII. Conclusion

Appendices

• Appendix A: Emerging Fair Housing Issues
• Appendix B: International Disapproval of U.S. Fair Housing Policy
• Appendix C:
  • Letter to Congressional Leaders
  • Letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson
• Appendix D: Commission Witnesses and Staff

Conclusion

"It is not enough just to open the gates of opportunity. All our citizens must have the ability to walk through those gates. This is the next and the more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom but opportunity. We seek not just legal equity but human ability, not just equality as a right and a theory but equality as a fact and equality as a result."

- President Lyndon B. Johnson

Forty years after the enactment of the Fair Housing Act, we still seek equality as a fact and equality as a result. While it is clear that the United States has made strides in its attempts to rid itself of discriminatory housing practices, there is still much to be done. Though America's demographics have changed since 1968, some old patterns of discrimination persist, while new ones have arisen.

After listening to testimony across America from a diverse and fascinating group of individuals representing many different viewpoints, the Commission has concluded that it is vital that the country renew its efforts to end both old and new patterns of discrimination. The Fair Housing Act, which is a core civil rights law, provides many of the necessary tools for combating these ills, helping to build diverse communities, and ensuring greater housing choices for all of our citizens.

It is indisputable that stronger and more diverse neighborhoods benefit everyone. We must therefore make greater efforts to advance fair housing principles throughout the United States through better enforcement, better education, and through systemic change. This will not be easy; it will take a serious commitment from both government and the private sector. The Commission is confident, however, that the effort will be worth it as part of our country's ongoing quest to become a more perfect union.

Next Section: Appendix A: Emerging Fair Housing Legislative and Regulatory Issues