NFHA President Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee

(Reading the full testimony is strongly recommended for anyone interested Fair Housing issues.)

On March 11, Shanna Smith of the National Fair Housing Alliance (NHFA) testified before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommitte on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, with a presentation titled “Protecting the American Dream: A Look at the Fair Housing Act.”

The testimony emphasizes that in spite of our efforts, the nation still falls “dramatically short of reaching the actual goals of the Fair Housing Act” which is designed to “eliminate housing discrimination and to promote residential integration.” “While people are working together in greater numbers than ever before–many go home each night to racially segregated neighborhoods.”

Shanna “explores the nature and extent of housing discrimination as it is manifested today, how enforcement action is moving from the individual case by case format to addressing systemic segregation and discrimination, albeit slowly, and why systemic enforcement actions using disparate impact arguments can make important and needed progress in achieving the Congressional intent of the law. I also discuss how the Fair Housing Act could still be improved to fight discrimination against additional protected classes and to address other issues that have arisen since 1968. Finally, I discuss the recommendations necessary to make enforcement of the law effective.” ( Full Testimony Here )