Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing | On July 8, HUD released the Final Rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH). The rule provides recipients of HUD funding with guidelines and data to promote fair housing and ensure that everyone has the right to fair housing, regardless of their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability or familial status. According to HUD, the Final Rule “simplifies existing fair housing obligations and creates a streamlined Assessment of Fair Housing planning process.” Read more about HUD’s rule on AFFH and access a copy of the Final Rule here. Look for a summary and analysis from MHP soon!

Disparate Impact | In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the notion that housing discrimination doesn’t have to be intentional to be illegal. Government or private policies that have discriminatory effects or a “disparate impact” on a group of people violate the 1968 Fair Housing Act. The ruling is a huge victory for advocates because it means plaintiffs can challenge unintentional or disguised prejudices that result in segregated housing patterns. Read an in-depth analysis on the ruling on Scotusblog. Learn more about disparate impact from the National Fair Housing Alliance resources.