About

what is fair housing?

Confronting segregation and fighting discrimination. We know that not all New Yorkers have equal access to the opportunities our city has to offer due to historic and present-day injustices, which especially impact communities of color.
Read about NYC’s Fair Housing History

what is fair housing image

The fight for fair housing has a long history in New York City and nationwide – here are three important moments in fair housing history:

THE FAIR HOUSING ACT (1968) comes out of CIVIL RIGHTS ERA ACTIVISM and protects you from discrimination when you are renting, buying, or financing your home, based on your:

  • Race
  • Color
  • National origin
  • Religion
  • Sex
  • Disability
  • Family status

The City of New York passed the nation’s first anti-discrimination law in housing in 1951. Today, the NEW YORK STATE and NEW YORK CITY HUMAN RIGHTS LAWS include additional protections based on:

  • Age
  • Citizenship
  • Lawful job or source of income
  • Gender, gender identity, or gender expression
  • Marriage or partnership status
  • Current children or plans to have children in the future
  • Height or weight
  • Sexual orientation
  • Experience as a survivor of domestic violence, stalking, or sex offenses
  • Military service

THE FAIR HOUSING ACT also requires all cities nationwide to affirmatively further fair housing. This is why Where We Live NYC focuses on proactive steps to confront segregation and address unequal access to opportunity through a two-fold approach:

  • Enabling people to move to the neighborhood of their choice or stay in their current neighborhood, even as it changes
  • Investing equitably in neighborhoods to ensure that all communities have the resources they need to thrive

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s proposed 2023 AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING FAIR HOUSING RULE would require local governments, like New York City, to submit a fair housing plan every five years.

In 2023, New York City also passed LOCAL LAW 167, requiring a NYC Fair Housing Assessment and Plan every five years.

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