April is Fair Housing Month

April is Fair Housing Month & in honor we welcome you to explore this blog focused on increasing awareness of housing discrimination, both across the United States and in Thurston County specifically.

What is Fair Housing Month?

“On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968...The 1968 Act expanded on previous acts and prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex, (and as amended) handicap and family status. Title VIII of the Act is also known as the Fair Housing Act (of 1968).” Quoted from History of fair housing

“Since 1968, housing discrimination has been illegal. It has also been much too common. The Fair Housing Act and other civil rights laws against discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, and disability are notoriously hard to enforce. In Washington cities and suburbs, it was decades before patterns of racial segregation began to ease and the most recent (2020) census shows that not even the passage of half a century has erased the effects of racial restrictive covenants and other instruments of exclusion and segregation.” Quoted from Understanding Racially Restrictive Covenants and their legacy

Thurston County

Historically in Thurston County, “restrictive racial covenants were on the books in many cities, actively preventing Blacks from finding housing in parts of our county. The unincorporated land in Lacey had no such covenants and provided an opportunity for Blacks to own homes, work, and raise families, as well as establishing generational wealth. Many of these racist covenants are still on the books in 2022 in Thurston County.” Quoted from The history of Blacks in Thurston County

"Even though some of these things happened long ago, you can see the lasting effects on our neighborhoods and the demographics of our region today," said report author Christa Lenssen. Notably, Lacey remains the most racially diverse community at 35% BIPOC residents, compared to 25% in Olympia and 24% in Tumwater. Read more: Has the fair housing act worked in Thurston County?

Fair housing = Low-income housing

"We found that fair housing is affordable housing, because higher housing costs are a sure-fire way to keep out lower-income people, who are disproportionately people of color." Quoted from Has the fair housing act worked in Thurston County?

Cities can help reverse the disparities caused by these problems by creating more opportunities for affordable housing. Cities are also responsible for ensuring new policies — not just around housing — do not exacerbate inequities. Resources like the Government Alliance on Race and Equity’s “Racial Equity Toolkit” can help cities incorporate equity considerations in policy making. Read more: Housing action plan for the city of Lacey

Fair Housing

List created by dfroelich4

April is Fair Housing Month & in honor we challenge you to learn something new about housing fairness as well as discrimination in America. Select a book from this list to get you started!