Stronger Federal Enforcements Needed To Uphold Fair Housing Laws
CED-78-21: Published: Feb 2, 1978. Publicly Released: Feb 2, 1978.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
Fair housing activities of federal agencies are largely covered by two civil rights acts. A review of the compliance and enforcement activities of federal housing agencies showed that their efforts have not been effective in identifying and eliminating discriminatory practices and seeking timely and appropriate settlements of complaints.
Applicants seeking housing under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) public housing and subsidized rental housing programs are not provided an equal opportunity on a first-come, first-serve basis as recommended by the agency's own title VI regulations. Applicants desiring a unit are allowed to refuse an unlimited number of offered units without being moved down on the list. This occurs because public housing authorities are not following the tenant selection plans, and subsidized rental housing projects are not required to maintain such plans. Although HUD and the Farmers Home Administration issued nearly identical title VI regulations which prohibit segregation among those receiving federal assistance, the regulations are not similarly implemented. The agency's efforts to resolve discrimination complaints in the private sector have also been ineffective. GAO reviewed 332 complaints received by three regional offices and found that the agency was unable to resolve 247 for lack of clear evidence of discrimination. The agency was able to determine that discrimination occurred in 57 cases; 36 cases were resolved. Housing and/or monetary compensation were received by 21 of the 36 complainants.
Jan 25, 2021
Military Housing:
Actions Needed to Improve the Process for Setting Allowances for Servicemembers and Calculating Payments for Privatized Housing ProjectsGAO-21-137: Published: Jan 25, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 25, 2021.
Dec 16, 2020
-
Lead Paint in Housing:
HUD Has Not Identified High-Risk Project-Based Rental Assistance PropertiesGAO-21-55: Published: Dec 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 16, 2020.
Dec 15, 2020
-
Disaster Housing:
Improved Cost Data and Guidance Would Aid FEMA Activation DecisionsGAO-21-116: Published: Dec 15, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 15, 2020.
Dec 8, 2020
-
Troubled Asset Relief Program:
Treasury Continues Winding Down Housing ProgramsGAO-21-39: Published: Dec 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 8, 2020.
Aug 13, 2020
-
Homelessness:
Better HUD Oversight of Data Collection Could Improve Estimates of Homeless PopulationGAO-20-433: Published: Jul 14, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 13, 2020.
Jul 29, 2020
-
Crumbling Foundations:
Extent of Homes with Defective Concrete Is Not Fully Known and Federal Options to Aid Homeowners Are LimitedGAO-20-649: Published: Jul 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 29, 2020.
Jul 27, 2020
-
Housing:
Preliminary Analysis of Homeownership Trends for Nine CitiesGAO-20-544R: Published: Jun 25, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 27, 2020.
Jun 26, 2020
-
Rental Housing:
As More Households Rent, the Poorest Face Affordability and Housing Quality ChallengesGAO-20-427: Published: May 27, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 26, 2020.
Apr 30, 2020
-
Priority Open Recommendations:
Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentGAO-20-500PR: Published: Apr 23, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 30, 2020.
Mar 17, 2020
-
Working Capital Fund:
HUD Could Improve Management to Better Achieve Efficiencies and Help Ensure Customer SatisfactionGAO-20-263: Published: Mar 17, 2020. Publicly Released: Mar 17, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here
Explore our Key Issues on Housing
Explore our other Key Issues here
