Complaints from people who say they are being discriminated against in the housing market declined in Washington last year, but remained at an all-time high nationwide. It’s the third year in a row that the national record for such complaints has been broken, according to a recent report from the National Fair Housing Alliance.
In Washington, there were 347 total complaints of housing discrimination, mostly for discrimination against people with disabilities. That’s down nearly 56% from 787 last year.
A federal law, known as the Fair Housing Act, prohibits discriminating against those seeking housing on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status or disability.
But despite the law, discrimination is still pervasive in the modern housing market, said Morgan Williams, general counsel at the National Fair Housing Alliance.
The group’s annual Fair Housing Report looks at the number of complaints related to housing discrimination each year, using data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Alliance’s partner housing organizations.
“The continued increases in reports of discrimination mean that lawmakers are not doing enough to secure adequate resources for the organizations that help educate the public about fair-housing laws,” Williams said.
In 2023, there were 34,150 complaints across the country – a 3.5% increase from the previous year. Most of the complaints – almost 53% – were for discrimination based on disability. But complaints of race and sex discrimination were also prominent.
Many states, including Washington, saw little increase or even a decrease in complaints last year. In 2023, California saw the largest percentage of complaints in the country, 8,667 or 25% of the country’s total.
The report notes that six fair-housing organizations were unable to report fair-housing data this year – some because of a lack of funding. It also acknowledges that many instances of discrimination go unreported.
Of Washington’s 347 complaints, 223 were related to disability. Another 55 were related to race, and 33 were related to sex.
The numbers are similar to those of 2022, when more than half of Washington’s discrimination complaints were related to disability. Race discrimination was the next highest cause, with 76 complaints.
To address housing discrimination, the report includes recommendations for federal, state and local governments.
The top recommendation is for the Biden administration to begin enforcing a rule finalized late last year that requires organizations receiving federal funds for housing to deliver those funds in a way that furthers fair housing and ensures resources are distributed equitably. The rule will also require state and local governments and public housing agencies to complete fair-housing plans.
Once enforced, it will be critical in creating affordable and inclusive communities, according to the report.
Another recommendation urges lawmakers to implement stronger laws to prevent housing discrimination against people using vouchers or other sources of income to pay rent.
The Alliance recommends giving local public housing authorities and landlords who receive funding from the federal government clearer guidance on this. It also pushes the federal government to expand protected groups under the Fair Housing Act to include people using vouchers or other rental assistance.
Williams said local governments across the country have already started protecting people using vouchers from discrimination, but it’s still not a protection at the federal level.
“There’s ongoing efforts to continue to expand the local fabric that has protections around source of income,” Williams said.
Washington lawmakers in 2018 added protections into state law against discrimination based on renters’ sources of income.
The report also calls on the federal government to pass a comprehensive housing plan, which should include ways to address housing affordability, housing supply shortages and further enforcement of fair-housing policies.
The lack of a comprehensive law, according to the report, is “a significant failure leaving the American people struggling with rising housing costs.”
Washington State Standard originally published this story on July 10, 2024. The Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com. Follow Washington State Standard on Facebook and X.