About the Campaign

Public Advocates continues to convene a coalition of state advocacy and legal services organizations to fight for improvements to the state affirmatively furthering fair housing implementation and enforcement.

Fair housing law prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, national origin, disability, and other protected characteristics. The 1968 Fair Housing Act also includes a mandate that the federal government actively work to dismantle segregation and create equal housing opportunities, known as “affirmatively furthering fair housing.” The federal government passes this duty onto all state and local governments that receive federal funding.

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released new regulations and data to guide local governments in identifying sources of housing inequality in their communities and taking proactive steps to increase opportunities for people of color by combatting discrimination and segregation. 

Under the Trump administration, fair housing and the duty to affirmatively further fair housing came under attack in Washington. In response, Public Advocates passed a groundbreaking California fair housing law in 2018, which maintained California’s commitment to fair housing.

Resources

• AB 686 Press Release—September 30, 2018
• AB 686 Fact Sheet
• AB 686 Fact Sheet (Spanish)

Campaign Partners

• National Housing Law Project
• Western Center on Law & Poverty