October 1, 2020, Washington, D.C. – Ending homelessness demands a full commitment to equality and justice. Recognizing discrimination and inequality will not be enough. We must decisively act to combat them, and our elected leaders have a responsibility to guide and support these efforts.
In recent years, the Federal government took meaningful steps to advance this work. It strengthened the Fair Housing Act, requiring jurisdictions to act affirmatively to achieve equal housing opportunity. It recognized the discrimination and risk affecting transgender people experiencing homelessness and guaranteed them access to federally funded shelter. And it supported training to help providers and systems understand the impact of racism on the problem of homelessness and their work to end it.
In the past few months, however, the current Administration has withdrawn or altered these important provisions that have helped communities actively combat racism and discrimination. In doing so, it has retreated from its leadership role, and undermined efforts to promote fairness and equality in communities across the nation. Those experiencing homelessness, and those most at risk of it, will be forced to live with the consequences of these actions.
The specific policies in question include: the Administration’s revision of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule, revisions to the Fair Housing Act’s Disparate Impact Standard, revocation of the 2016 update to HUD’s Equal Access Rule, and the Executive Order on Combatting Race and Sex Stereotyping.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness calls upon the Administration to immediately restore fair housing requirements, reinstate shelter protection for transgender people, and support training that helps the homelessness system address racism. As the nation works to overcome rising levels of homelessness, housing instability, and economic inequity, we can ill afford to move backward.
About the National Alliance to End Homelessness
The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States. As a leading voice on the issue of homelessness, the Alliance analyzes policy and develops pragmatic, cost-effective solutions; works collaboratively with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to build state and local capacity; and provides data and research to policymakers and elected officials in order to inform policy debates and educate the public and opinion leaders nationwide.
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