FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 8, 2020
CONTACTS: Kawana Lloyd, 240-472-2860, kawana@megaphonestrategies.com; Cabot Petoia, cabot@megaphonestrategies.com, 828-899-9239
WASHINGTON-- HUD announced, late yesterday, plans to roll back Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), a legal requirement of the Fair Housing Act that requires communities and public housing authorities take steps to overcome historic racial discrimination in housing segregation and to promote fair housing choice and foster inclusive communities free from discrimination. In response to this HUD decision that would harm millions of economically vulnerable people, housing advocates with the Alliance for Housing Justice released the following statements:
“Today’s latest HUD proposal published by Secretary Ben Carson once again attacks America’s most vulnerable communities and families,” said Sam Tepperman-Gelfant, Deputy Managing Attorney at Public Advocates. “The proposal would further an already devastating affordable housing crisis caused by policies that put the profits of developers, speculators, and billionaires over our right to have a place to call home."
“Trump and his hand-picked White House HUD Secretary Ben Carson are threatening to hold cities and states hostage when they take action to enact or keep regulations that protect against immoral and unaffordable rent increases, defend workers rights, and advance climate justice policies,” said Malcolm Torrejon Chu, Director of Programs at the Right To The City Alliance. “The proposed changes will further target communities of color and increase racist discriminatory housing policies, while making it easier for the administration’s donor friends to profit off of our communities' human right and need for a home."
“America has never adequately addressed housing discrimination. By eviscerating fair housing protections for the 327 million people living in America, President Trump and HUD Secretary Carson are exacerbating the housing crisis in America and continuing this nation’s repugnant tradition of class and racial exclusion. Rolling back AFFH is intentionally cruel and destructive, and it promotes racial segregation,” said Michael McAfee, PolicyLink president and CEO. “This Administration is hell-bent on making ‘America Great Again’ for people of means at the expense of poor and working-class people – especially people of color. This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We will win on equity and advance policies that ensure all people in America are able to establish a home in their neighborhood of choice.“
“Our nation is in a moment of incredible change,” said Liz Ryan Murray, Project Director at Alliance for Housing Justice. “We can afford to make sure everyone has a place to call home. Instead of rolling back civil rights and lining the pockets of billionaire real estate investors and corporate landlords who are creating barriers to prosperity, we urge HUD, Trump and the federal government to take the housing crisis seriously. They should immediately begin to use their tools and influence to fight housing discrimination, fully implement the 2015 AFFH rule, dramatically increase federal investment in public and social housing, support rent control, protect tenants, raise environmental safeguards, and bolster the rights and wages of workers — not clear the way for more developer profits at the expense of our communities.”
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The Alliance for Housing Justice is a coalition of organizations, including: Right to the City, PolicyLink, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Poverty & Race Research Action Council, and Public Advocates — seeking to align ourselves as legal, advocacy, organizing and policy groups to advance housing justice. For more information about AHJ, housing and housing justice, visit: https://www.allianceforhousingjustice.org/