HUD Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule Issued for Comment - July 18, 2013

HUD's long-awaited proposed rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) was issued today and will be published in the Federal Register on July 19.  The deadline for comment is 60 days following publication in the Federal Register (approximately September 17).

As detailed in HUD's summary, the proposed rule provides HUD program participants with better tools to meet their obligation to act proactively to overcome historic patterns of segregation, promote fair housing choice, and foster inclusive communities for all.  HUD will provide states, local governments, insular areas, and public housing agencies (PHAs), as well as the communities they serve, with several data sets that program participants can use to evaluate their present environment, assess fair housing issues, identify the primary determinants that account for those issues, and set forth fair housing priorities and goals. The data sets will provide information on:

• patterns of integration and segregation;
• racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty;
• access to education, employment, low-poverty, transportation, and environmental health, among other critical assets;
• disproportionate housing needs based on the classes protected under the Fair Housing Act; and
• data on individuals with disabilities and families with children; and discrimination.