More Buffalonians to be Protected from Housing Discrimination with New Legislation

 

Fair Housing law expansions were passed in April 2025 to guarantee protection for more citizens of Buffalo, New York, with minority status, according to a spokesperson with the Buffalo Common Council. The laws now cover those with disabilities, those apart of the LGBTQ+ community, those from other countries, and those who require housing vouchers or public assistance. Race, religion, and national identity are already protected by the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The legislation was passed on April 1st, the first day of National Fair Housing Month.

A recent study by the Partnership for the Public Good of Buffalo - A City Divided: A Brief Study of the History of Segregation in Buffalo - found that Buffalo-Niagara is one of the most racially segregated metropolitan regions in the nation. While racial segregation has declined slightly in recent years, economic segregation has increased, resulting in neighborhood conditions growing worse – not better – for most people of color in the area. The metro area itself is ranked sixth most segregated in the nation on the white-black index, and twenty-first most segregated on the white-Hispanic index (“Segregation Results from 2010,” Census Scope, March 18, 2012, http://censusscope.org/dev/content/segregation-results2010).

Redlining’s detrimental and exclusionary consequences remained prevalent in 2024, causing myriad health, environmental, housing, and economic disparities throughout Buffalo’s East Side (James Coughlin, "City of Redlined Neighbors: Redlining in Past and Present Buffalo," Peace Chronicle: The Magazine of the Peace and Justice Studies Association (Spring, 2024).

This critical legislation will give the City of Buffalo’s Fair Housing law teeth to ensure that everyone in Buffalo is treated equally when purchasing or renting a home,” said Fair Housing Officer Harold Cardwell, Jr. “The ability to find safe and sustainable housing of your choice is an inalienable human right.” Realtors and landlords in the city will be required to make “reasonable” accommodations for those with disabilities, including equal housing language and symbols. Exclusions will be removed for those who own fewer than 20 housing units and fines will be increased for first-time and repeat violations. More time will be given to resolve accusations.

“The ugly legacy of housing discrimination can be seen in cities across the nation, and we see its toxic aftermath in the disparities that impact black communities and low-income households here in the City of Buffalo,” said Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope. “With this legislation, we will help ensure that no Buffalonian is denied fair access to housing simply for being who they are.”

Read the April 16, 2025 Buffalo WIVB Channel 4 article.

Partnership for the Public Good

Thurgood Marshall Institute Releases Housing Justice Publications in Honor of National Fair Housing Month

To commemorate the 57th anniversary of the passage of the National Fair Housing Act, the Legal Defense Fund’s (LDF) is releasing two housing justice publications. The first publication – Barred from Housing: The Discriminatory Impact of Criminal History Restrictions in Tenant Screening – highlights how public and private housing providers often use overly broad and restrictive criminal record policies that limit housing opportunities. According to the report, these policies may violate the Fair Housing Act by having unjustified discriminatory effects on Black tenants.

The second publication is a podcast episode entitled “The Promises and Threats of Algorithms in Housing,” which details the increased use of algorithms and predictive technologies in the housing industry. Guests on the episode, including Maryland Legal Aid, argue that while algorithmic technologies have the potential to increase equity by removing human bias from decision-making, there is very little transparency and oversight over these tools and there is clear evidence that these technologies are replicating and amplifying existing biases.

“Access to safe, affordable housing is critical to the fight for a stronger, more equitable, and more prosperous country,” said Karla McKanders, Director of the Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI). “At a time when the administration is undermining fair housing policies and cutting funds for various programs meant to remedy housing discrimination, our publications draw attention to the prevalence of housing discrimination and the continued need for essential housing protections to ensure all communities have access to safe, dignified, and affordable housing. We are proud to work alongside advocates from across the country to make the dream of fair housing a reality for those who are most often denied it.”

These publications are an extension of the TMI’s efforts to advance LDF’s mission of ensuring equitable access to housing for Black families and communities. To learn more about housing discrimination and the work being done to fight it, view The Black-White Racial Wealth Gap and Bad Housing Blues: Discrimination in the Housing Choice Voucher Program in Memphis, Tennessee.

Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s TMI is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. 

Read the April 15, 2025 Legal Defense Fund article.