Fair Housing Month (April)

by: Joyce Beatty (D-OH, 3rd)

Washington, D.C. - April 24, 2019 - (The Stuff Gazette) -- Fifty-one years ago, on April 11, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in the housing sector based on race, ethnicity, sex, age, disability, and family status. In recognition of the landmark piece of legislation, each April our country commemorates Fair Housing Month. To mark the occasion, U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) issued the following statement:

“Thanks to the Fair Housing Act, Americans have the right to live where they choose, regardless of race, gender, religion, disability, and family status. But the dream of equal housing opportunity is far from fulfilled; still today, it is legal to refuse housing based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and institutional racism continues to make it very difficult for people of color to access affordable, quality housing. I will not rest until every hardworking family in Central Ohio and beyond can access housing that best meets their needs.”

As Chair of the House Financial Services Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee as well as a member of the Housing, Community Development, and Insurance Subcommittee, Beatty is working hard to guarantee all Americans—no matter what they look like, where they’re from, or who they love—have equal access to safe, secure housing. To that effect, she recently participated in an April 2nd Financial Services hearing entitled, “The Fair Housing Act: Reviewing Efforts to Eliminate Discrimination and Promote Opportunity in Housing” to examine the successes of the Fair Housing Act and persistent challenges that too many potential homeowners and renters still face today.

To learn more about fair housing laws, including your rights when seeking housing and as a tenant or homeowner, visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity website.