Reports and Studies

HUD: People with Mental Disabilities Face Significant Housing Discrimination

September 20, 2017    

People living with mental illness, and those with intellectual or other developmental disabilities, continue to face significant housing discrimination in the rental housing market, according to a new HUD pilot study.

NFHA Trends Report: 'The Case for Fair Housing'

May 19, 2017    

The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) recently released its 2017 Fair Housing Trends Report: The Case for Fair Housing. Every year, NFHA collects data on housing discrimination complaints and reports on key housing issues across the United States in the prior year. This year, the NFHA says...

Study: Transgender Rental Bias Severely Limits Housing Choices

April 20, 2017    

Transgender and gender non-conforming individuals responding to apartment ads in Greater Boston were more likely to be quoted a higher rental price, were shown fewer apartment amenities such as storage or laundry, and were less apt to be offered a financial incentive to rent, according to a...

HUD: Wheelchairs Users and Deaf Face Discrimination in Rental Housing Market

August 12, 2015    

Rental housing providers tell prospects who are deaf or use wheelchairs about fewer available housing units than comparable testers who can hear and walk, according to a new study released by HUD and the Urban Institute.

The study was based on “paired testing” to compare the...

Fair Housing Linked to Health, Education, Transit, Wealth, and Job Opportunities

May 28, 2015    

In its 2015 Fair Housing Trends Report, “Where You Live Matters,” the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) emphasizes the link between fair housing and access to a quality education, transit options, health care, job opportunities, and healthy food.

Report: Criminal Records Barriers to Federally Subsidized Housing

February 26, 2015    

Although HUD has given wide discretion to public housing authorities and federally subsidized project owners to admit low-income tenants with criminal records, many continue to deny these individuals, according to a new report by the Shriver Center. Overly restrictive policies against people...

Secondhand Smoke Exposure Remains High in Rental Housing

February 26, 2015    

One in four nonsmokers—58 million people—are still exposed to the dangerous chemicals in secondhand smoke, even though cigarette-smoking rates have dropped and smoking in public places has been banned in many states, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and...

Report Details Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples in Senior Housing

March 20, 2014    

The Equal Rights Center, a Washington, D.C.-based civil rights organization, recently released the results of a 10-state investigation documenting discrimination against older same-sex couples seeking housing in senior living facilities.

Subtle Discrimination: Just as Illegal as Blatant Discrimination

February 26, 2014    

Fair housing law bans even subtle forms of discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and familial status. Most people understand that it’s illegal to blatantly refuse to rent to protected groups, yet studies show persistently high levels of more...

HUD Announces First-Ever Same-Sex Housing Discrimination Study

June 19, 2013    

 

This week, HUD released the nation’s first-ever national study examining housing discrimination against same-sex couples in the private rental market. The study measured the treatment that same-sex couples received from rental agents when inquiring about apartments advertised...

Study Finds Decline in Blatant Discrimination While Unequal Treatment Persists

June 18, 2013    

Blatant acts of housing discrimination faced by minority home seekers continue to decline in the United States, yet more subtle forms of housing denial stubbornly persist, according to a new study just released by HUD and the Urban Institute.

Study Examines Housing Discrimination in Chicago Metro Area

June 18, 2013    

Housing discrimination still plagues certain populations pushed into limited housing stock, according to a new study on segregation in the Chicago area. The Illinois Department of Human Rights commissioned the John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Center to examine the housing...