Will Biden Rekindle Hope for Ending Housing Discrimination?
The current president of the United States, Joe Biden, has already taken action to address housing discrimination in America. In his first weeks in office, he issued an executive order to protect tenants from eviction, and he also proposed a $213 billion investment in affordable housing. But is this enough to end housing discrimination in the US?
What is Housing Discrimination?
Housing discrimination is the unequal treatment of people based on their race, national origin, religion, gender, age, or disability. This type of discrimination is illegal under the Fair Housing Act of 1968, but it is still a major problem in the US.
How Is Housing Discrimination Still a Problem?
Despite the passage of the Fair Housing Act, housing discrimination is still rampant in the US. According to a report from the National Fair Housing Alliance, over 200,000 cases of housing discrimination were reported in 2020. The most common form of discrimination is racial discrimination, which accounts for 43% of all reported cases. Other forms of discrimination are also common, including discrimination based on gender, age, and disability.
How Has the Biden Administration Addressed Housing Discrimination?
The Biden administration has already taken action to address housing discrimination in the US. In his first weeks in office, President Biden issued an executive order to protect tenants from eviction during the pandemic. The order prohibits landlords from evicting tenants for nonpayment of rent if they are unable to pay due to the economic impacts of the pandemic.
In addition, the Biden administration has proposed a $213 billion investment in affordable housing. This plan includes funding for public housing, rental assistance, and the construction of new affordable housing units. This investment is expected to provide housing for millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet.
Will These Measures Be Enough to End Housing Discrimination?
It’s clear that the Biden administration is taking steps to address housing discrimination in the US. However, it’s unclear whether these measures will be enough to end housing discrimination.
It’s important to remember that the Fair Housing Act was passed more than 50 years ago, and yet discrimination still persists. This is largely due to the fact that there are still significant disparities in income and wealth between different racial and ethnic groups.
For example, the median wealth of white households is nearly 10 times that of Black households. This means that Black households are far less likely to be able to afford housing, making them more vulnerable to housing discrimination.
In addition, many landlords and property managers are not aware of their obligations under the Fair Housing Act, or they simply choose to ignore it. This means that they may not be taking the necessary steps to ensure that their properties are compliant with the law.
Finally, there are still significant barriers to enforcing the Fair Housing Act. For example, it can be difficult for individuals to prove that they were discriminated against, and the penalties for violating the law are often too small to act as a deterrent.
Conclusion
The Biden administration is taking steps to address housing discrimination in the US. However, it is unclear whether these measures will be enough to end housing discrimination. There are still significant disparities in income and wealth between different racial and ethnic groups, and there are still significant barriers to enforcing the Fair Housing Act. Only time will tell if these measures are enough to end housing discrimination in the US.