Trump Administration Proposed Changes to Fair Housing Regulations Would Gut Protections for People of Color and Domestic Violence Survivors

WASHINGTON —The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will propose changes to its regulations implementing the Fair Housing Act according to reporting.

Sandra Park, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following response:

“This move by HUD is just the latest example of this administration’s broad attack on civil rights protections vital to all of us, especially communities of color, women, and people with disabilities. An effective disparate impact standard is the foundation for equal opportunities to obtain and keep good housing. For domestic violence survivors, it is key to ensure their right to secure housing, free from abuse. We refuse to live in a country where the government would rescind protections for survivors of domestic violence facing eviction based on the abuse committed against them, in their own homes — and we will be fighting back.”

The bipartisan law, passed in 1968, prohibits discrimination in the sale or rental of housing. For decades, the act, including its “disparate impact” regulation, has served as a critical tool for combatting modern forms of discrimination, including policies that have an impact on women, people of color, people with disabilities, and other marginalized groups. HUD codified this tool in its “disparate impact” regulation.

If implemented, the Trump administration’s proposal would roll back essential protections against housing discrimination, making communities of color and survivors of domestic violence even more vulnerable to housing insecurity and abuse.