# Housing Fairness Act of 2023: Plain Language Summary

This bill creates a new federal program to catch and stop housing discrimination. The government will hire fair housing organizations to conduct undercover testing—sending people to apply for apartments, homes, or mortgages to see if landlords, sellers, or lenders treat them differently based on race, religion, disability, family status, national origin, or sex. If testers discover discrimination, the results can be used as evidence in legal cases against the people or companies breaking fair housing laws. The bill also requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to report to Congress every two years about what the testing uncovers and recommend new laws or policies to fix problems.

Beyond testing, the bill significantly increases funding for fair housing organizations that investigate discrimination complaints and educate the public about their rights. The funding jumps from current levels to $42.5 million per year through 2027, with at least 75 percent going to private organizations that handle discrimination cases. These organizations can now advertise their services on websites and social media, not just traditional media. The bill also creates a new grant program giving money to nonprofits and universities to study why housing discrimination happens and test solutions to prevent it.

For everyday people, this bill means stronger enforcement of existing fair housing laws. If you're looking to rent or buy a home and suspect you've been treated unfairly because of your race, family status, disability, or other protected characteristics, there will be more resources available to investigate your complaint. The increased funding and testing programs make it riskier for landlords and lenders to discriminate, since they're more likely to get caught. The bill also ensures more public education about fair housing rights, so people know what protections they have and where to report problems.

Housing Fairness Act of 2023

Green, Al

Veterans, Women, Families with Children, Race, and Persons with Disabilities Housing Fairness Act of 2023 or the Housing Fairness Act of 2023 This bill expands efforts to detect and address housing discrimination. Specifically, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must conduct a nationwide testing program to (1) detect and document differences in the treatment of prospective renters, homebuyers, or mortgage borrowers; (2) measure patterns of adverse treatment because of the race, color, religion, sex, familial status, disability status, or national origin of a renter, homebuyer, or borrower; and (3) measure the prevalence of such discriminatory practices across housing and mortgage lending markets. The bill also reauthorizes through FY2027 the Fair Housing Initiatives Program, which supports organizations that provide direct assistance to individuals who have been victims of housing discrimination. Additionally, HUD must implement a grant program to assist public and private nonprofit organizations in (1) conducting comprehensive studies on the causes or effects of housing discrimination and segregation, and (2) implementing pilot projects that test solutions to help prevent or alleviate housing discrimination and segregation.