Introduction

This is a new blog that will dedicate itself to discussions of fair housing. Fair housing is a set of laws and policies that aim to eliminate discrimination and segregation. Federally, the Fair Housing Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968) and its amendments (added in 1988) protect persons from discrimination and proposes to reduce segregation on the basis of seven protected classes:

Race (i.e. Black, Asian, etc.)
Color (skin tone)
Religion (any religion)
National Origin (i.e. Latino, Middle Eastern, etc.)
Sex (gender)
Familial Status (presence of children under 18)
Disability (mental or physical)

Many states, counties, and cities have added protected classes including age, marital status, sexual orientation, and source of income. And, there are other laws that address prejudice and/or fair housing.

Traditionally, housing in the United States has been segregated. As this table shows, metropolitan areas in the Midwest are generally the most highly segregated. MSAs and MSAs in the Southwest are the least segregated in general. However, segregation also generally increases as the numbers and percentages of African Americans within an MSA increases.

The entries here will consist of analyses, observations, commentaries, and links to items of interest regarding fair housing.