NEW HUD PROPOSAL WILL WEAKEN FAIR HOUSING ENFORCEMENT EVEN MORE

According to a story in the Washington Post on January 3, 2020, the Trump administration will propose a new rule as early as January 6th that would reduce the requirement of local governments to meet fair housing obligations.

Among the changes sought by HUD are "redefining what it means to promote fair housing, eliminating the assessment used to address barriers to racial integration, and encouraging cities to remove regulations that stand in the way of affordable housing, according to the proposed rule obtained by The Washington Post."

The proposed rules are intended to increase so-called “fair housing choice” by providing more housing along with safe and sanitary housing conditions that supposedly will better allow families to live where they want — instead of racially integrating neighborhoods and communities.

HUD also wants to rank communities based on housing costs and fair market rents, and then award the best performers priority status for federal housing grants. These incentives are intended to increase the availability of affordable housing.

The proposed rules will be published in the Federal Register ahead of a 60-day public comment period.