Fair Housing

Fair Housing

DCHA complies with federal, state, and local nondiscrimination laws, and with rules and regulations governing fair housing and equal opportunity in housing.

Fair housing is a right afforded to all persons seeking housing, whether they are Public Housing residents, Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) participants or private market renters.

Owners and landlords are obligated to comply with the federal, state and local laws that guarantees this right.

Federal

The Fair Housing Act is Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended by the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988. This law established a national policy of providing fair housing throughout the United States.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the provision of housing based on:

  • Race
  • Color
  • Religion
  • Sex
  • National origin
  • Familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians; pregnant women; and people securing custody of children under the age of 18.)
  • Disability

District of Columbia

The DC Human Rights Act of 1977, amended in 2022, provides protections against discrimination and trait-based harassment in employment, public accommodations, education, and housing in the District of Columbia.

It prohibits discrimination in the provision of housing based on 20 protected traits:

  1. Age
  2. Color
  3. Disability
  4. Family responsibilites
  5. Familial status
  6. Gender identity and expression
  7. Homeless status
  8. Marital status
  9. Matriculation
  10. National origin
  11. Personal appearance
  12. Place of residence
  13. Political affiliation
  14. Race
  15. Religion
  16. Sealed evicition record
  17. Sex
  18. Sexual orientation
  19. Source of income
  20. Status as a victim of an intrafamily offense