Lawyers for Civil Rights Rebukes HUD’s Fair Housing Investigation of Boston
Boston Must Do More, Not Less, To Remedy Housing Inequality For Communities of Color
Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) sent a letter to the City of Boston condemning the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) “fair housing” investigation of the City. LCR’s letter details how—contrary to HUD’s allegations—Boston’s efforts aimed at rectifying Boston’s long history of racial segregation and discrimination in homebuying and lending, and investing in underserved communities of color, are necessary to further the City’s compliance with the Fair Housing Act.
LCR also explains that the Fair Housing Act’s history and legal precedent require Boston to affirmatively redress disparities in housing access for its residents of color. Boston Black and Latino residents are more rent-burdened, more likely to be evicted, and more likely to face homelessness than their white neighbors. Boston also has an insufficient affordable housing supply for families of color and pervasive residential segregation.
“Boston’s housing disparities for communities of color are well documented,” said Jillian Lenson, Senior Attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights. “The City has both a legal responsibility and a moral duty to fight for housing equality, including by directing resources and opportunities to residents who have long faced discriminatory barriers to accessing housing.”
The City has much more work to do to prevent housing discrimination and ensure meaningful housing opportunities for communities of color, as required by the Fair Housing Act. Succumbing to HUD pressure to roll back or weaken any of its efforts to remedy housing inequality would subject Boston to significant risk of legal liability. Lawyers for Civil Rights will fight to ensure that Boston continues and strengthens its important—and legally required—work to reduce housing inequality and racial segregation.
The letter is available here.