Copyright: Mark Van Scyoc
On January 5, HUD announced it is delaying the deadline for local governments to submit fair housing evaluations required by the Obama administration’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule by one year.
NMHC/NAA identified AFFH as one of several regulations that impede the industry’s ability to meet the nation’s housing needs in a letter to the Trump administration. We noted that implementation of the Rule would “lead to delays in construction and permitting decisions” at a time when the U.S. is suffering from shortage of apartments to meet historic demand for rental housing.
AFFH requires cities and towns that receive federal funding to examine their local housing patterns for racial bias and design a plan to address any measurable bias. The proposal has received significant, bicameral opposition. Last July, 20 Congressmen and Senators sent a letter to Secretary Carson asking him to rescind the rule entirely. In addition, bills were introduced in the House and Senate that would defund implementation of the rule; the House legislation drew 24 co-sponsors.
NMHC/NAA will continue to work with HUD and stakeholders on the implementation of AFFH. More information on Fair Housing can be found here.
