Proclaim the month of April as Fair Housing Month in Texas City.

This year, we commemorate the 55th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act, the landmark civil rights law signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1968, that made discrimination in housing transactions unlawful. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color national origin, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, and familial status.

Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, known as the Fair Housing Act, requires HUD and recipients of federal funds from HUD to affirmatively further the policies and purposes of the Fair Housing Act, also known as “affirmatively further fair housing” or “AFFH.” The obligation to affirmatively further fair housing requires recipients of HUD funds to take meaningful actions, in addition to combating discrimination, that overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity based on protected characteristics, which are:

• Race
• Color
• National Origin
• Religion
• Sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity)
• Familial Status
• Disability

Generally, in administering programs and activities relating to housing and community development, the federal government, HUD, and its recipients must:

• Determine who lacks access to opportunity and address any inequity among protected class groups
• Promote integration and reduce segregation
• Transform racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity

It is the recommendation of the Community Development, Fair Housing, & Grants Administrator that the Commission support this action and proclaim April 2023 to be Fair Housing Month.