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NJ Attorney General Platkin Co-Leads Multistate Support for Fair Housing Rule
Attorney General Platkin Co-Leads Multistate Comment Letter in Support of Biden Administration’s Proposed Rule Strengthening Fair Housing Protections
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin is co-leading a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing a comment letter in support of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) proposed Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule. The rule aims to strengthen fair housing protections, promote residential integration and increase protections against unlawful discriminatory housing practices.
In light of continued and historic housing discrimination and residential segregation across the United States, the federal Fair Housing Act requires HUD to take affirmative steps to further fair housing, including tackling the legacy of discrimination in access to housing.
The proposed AFFH rule requires public entities that receive HUD funding to prepare Equity Plans that identify obstacles to fair housing choice and specific strategies to meet fair housing goals. The rule also promotes community engagement and accountability by making Equity Plans available to the public for review and input, as well as allowing the public to hold funding recipients accountable through the proposed complaint and compliance review process.
The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights has an established record of promoting housing equity through public education and a myriad of enforcement actions. The division has been working closely with federal partners to combat housing discrimination. The comment letter from the attorneys general also includes recommendations to further enhance protections against housing discrimination and segregation.
“Safe, clean, affordable housing is a basic human right,” said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. “While New Jersey has some of the strongest fair housing protections in the nation, discrimination and segregation in housing still exist across our county. Adopting this rule will require every state to make serious efforts to combat housing segregation, increase transparency, and eliminate systemic barriers to housing access.”
In addition to Platkin, the attorneys general of New York and California also co-led the comment letter. They were joined by the attorneys general of Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
The coalition supports the proposed rule and offers recommendations to further enhance fair housing protections. Platkin and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights will continue to fight against discriminatory housing policies and uphold protections for those living in New Jersey and throughout the country.
