Federal Policy Priorities

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH)

The Fair Housing Act therefore requires that local governments receiving federal housing money take steps to affirmatively further fair housing. This duty requires states, cities, parishes, and public housing authorities that accept this funding to promote diverse, inclusive communities and overcome the negative effects of segregation.

On July 8, 2015, the Obama Administration released new regulations designed to guide local governments in complying with this obligation to affirmatively further fair housing. The City of New Orleans was part of the first cohort of local governments to undergo this new assessment.

Disparate Impact Analysis

Disparate impact analysis is an established legal doctrine, upheld by the Supreme Court, that civil rights advocates use to help enforce laws like the Fair Housing Act. Disparate impact analysis establishes culpability or fault for a policy that is developed with little attention to, or understanding of, the potential impact on a protected group of people.

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