HUD SECRETARY BEN CARSON HOSTS ROUNDTABLE WITH PENNSYLVANIA ELECTED OFFICIALS ON THE REMOVAL OF THE 2015 AFFH RULE

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today held a roundtable with local and federal officials in Pennsylvania to discuss the importance of local zoning decisions being made by local communities rather than unelected bureaucrats in Washington.

“American suburbs are a shining example of the American Dream, where people can live in their own homes, in safe, pleasant neighborhoods,” said Secretary Carson. “We have already seen jurisdictions make strong progress promoting fair housing at the local level, and they will continue to do so without complicated certification processes from Washington that would inevitably lead to blanket national policies on intimate local issues. As it turns out, our Founders had some good ideas when they set up our government—we just need to listen to them. Washington has no business dictating what is best to meet your local community’s unique needs.”

“I commend President Trump and his administration for ensuring that Americans have access to affordable housing,” said U.S. Representative Fred Keller (R-PA 12). “Rolling back the AFFH rule gets government out of the way, eliminates costly Washington mandates, and supports local control of neighborhood development.”

This brand-new rule, called Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice, defines fair housing broadly to mean housing that, among other attributes, is affordable, safe, decent, free of unlawful discrimination, and accessible under civil rights laws. It then defines “affirmatively furthering fair housing” to mean any action rationally related to promoting any of the above attributes of fair housing.

Now, a grantee’s certification that it has affirmatively furthered fair housing will be deemed sufficient if it proposes to take any action above what is required by statute related to promoting any of the attributes of fair housing. HUD remains able to terminate funding if it discovers, after investigation made pursuant to complaint or by its own volition, that a jurisdiction has not adhered to its commitment to AFFH.

Persons who believe they have experienced housing discrimination may file a complaint of discrimination by contacting HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 or visiting How to File a Complaint on HUD’s website. Materials and assistance are available for persons with limited English proficiency. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may contact the Department using the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.