When we think of housing in the District, in the country, and around the world, we must remember it is more than a place to stay. It is a human right.  It states under Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of [them]selves and of [their] family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services…” Similarly, our very own D.C. Human Rights Act states that “every” individual shall have equal opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of life in the District, including housing.

An individual’s access to fair housing, good jobs, healthy food, adequate schools, and other necessary resources plays an important role in their overall safety and stability. Discrimination, intimidation, and even violence has long played a part in preventing people from obtaining fair and adequate housing. The Fair Housing Act was enacted to address these barriers and as a result, it had two main purposes: (1) to prevent discrimination in housing, such as the use of racially restrictive covenants, blockbusting, and steering; and (2) to reverse housing segregation. In addition to preventing discrimination in the sale and rental of a dwelling unit based on race, color, religion, or national origin, the federal act now covers sex (added in 1974) and persons with disabilities (1988).

Despite these protections, housing segregation has persisted and has been noted as a central cause of racial health inequities in our nation. The National Fair Housing Alliance estimates that each year, there are an estimated 4 million incidents of housing discrimination. The vast majority of them go unreported and very few are challenged in court. While court cases like Shelly v Kramer (1948) helped strike down racially restrictive housing covenants, new techniques for discrimination emerged, including reverse redlining.

Here in the District, particularly at the Office of Human Rights, we continue to vigorously respond to and address discrimination in housing in the District, thanks to the support of our Mayor.  Like many other cities and states around the country, we are still fighting for fair housing, but we are fortunate to have protections under the Human Rights Act, which provides much broader coverage than the federal Fair Housing Act. For instance, source of income discrimination, though a prevalent issue in the nation, is not covered under the FHA. In D.C., not only does the Human Rights Act protect against source of income discrimination, we have provided guidance and training to the communities what constitutes “source of income” discrimination . Over the years, OHR has published a number of guidance documents on housing, which can be accessed at: ohr.dc.gov/page/OHRguidance. Of course, we also have the Fair Criminal Record Screening for Housing Act of 2016, which prevents unlawful screening of a housing applicant’s criminal background, and housing protections if you are a Victim of an Intrafamily Offense. OHR also has had a fair housing program that was established in 1999 to eradicate discrimination in the District.

We all deserve a place to call home. As Maya Angelou once said, “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are not be questioned.”

Discrimination based on National Origin is prohibited under the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977. National origin is defined as state, country, or national in which a person or their ancestors were born.

DID YOU KNOW: The lack of language access can be a significant barrier in accessing and maintaining housing for Limited-English Proficient (LEP) persons? An estimated 25 million people in the United States do not communicate proficiently in English. Because language proficiency is liked to national origin, under the FHA, housing providers are prohibited from using limited English proficient selectively or as an excuse for housing discrimination