April is Fair Housing Month - Housing is Integral to Health & Wealth
LEARN FROM THE PAST…
Wagner-Steagall Housing Act of 1937 - Fair housing policy gets started as FDR makes this a focus in his second term, however the racism and sexism inherent in the system means many in need are left out.
Chicago Freedom Movement, 1960s - Due to racially restrictive covenants and redlining, by 1960 96% of Chicago's 813,000 Black citizens lived in 11 of the 76 community areas. Community leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., organized gatherings and marches which helped bring change - and inspired the 1968 Fair Housing Act.
LBJ finally signs the Civil Rights Act in 1968, which includes Titles VIII & IX on Fair Housing - this landmark law added the necessary enforcement provisions for previous fair housing acts that had already been signed into law but were easily ignored.
LEARN FROM THE PRESENT…
Preventing Homelessness: The Best Return on Investment - TEDx Talk 8:44 video. Trisha Cummins Kauffman brings a strong argument for fair and affordable housing; highlighting the steeper costs of neglecting to help people on the verge of homelessness vs the vast benefits of providing secure housing.
Ta-Nehisi Coates in Conversation with Richard Rothstein, author of The Color Of Law, 1:20:08 video - on the bias in housing policies of the United States and the institutions that use/used every advantage to profit from racism and sexism, and how that shaped today’s housing situation.
Gender and Racial Justice in Housing - National Women’s Law Center Issue Brief, February 2021 - Safe, accessible, and affordable housing is vital yet still hard to access due to discrimination and economic inequities.
ACTION…
Listen to the people who are left out of fair housing policy - The National Coalition for the Homeless is a great place to start. You’ll find stories, resources, and much more.
Know the rights and the foundation - The United States Department of Justice Fair Housing Act
Join in the action - the National Housing Law Project is just one of many organizations built to advocate for fair & affordable housing. Whether on the local, state, or national level, you will find community and guidance for action.
Contact your policy makers. By phone, email, or in person, make your voice heard.
For More Background & History…
Housing Equity/Inequity Timeline, 1930 to 2020 - The U.S. Housing and Urban Development interactive timeline with facts, links, and resources.
Troubled passage: the Labor Movement and the Fair Labor Standards Act - A U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics paper giving illumination on additional events and efforts at the time of the Wagner-Steagall Housing Act of 1937. Complete with notes.