Fair Housing (FH)

The Fair Housing Act (title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968)  protects people from discrimination when they are renting or buying a home, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other housing-related activities.  It prohibits discrimination in housing based on a person’s

  • Race
  • Color
  • National Origin
  • Religion
  • Sex
  • Familial Status (pregnant women, families with children, for example)
  • Disability

There are a number of laws related to the Fair Housing Act that offer additional protection, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975.  Section 109 of Title I of the housing and Community Development Act of 1974 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion in any program or activity funded in whole or in part under Title I of the Community Development Act of 1974, which includes Community Development Block Grants (CDBG).

The City of Bradenton is responsible for ensuring that its CDBG-funded activities are administered in a manner to affirmatively further fair housing.  This means more than simply prohibiting discrimination in its federally funded activities.  The city must also take steps to ensure that it is affirmatively furthering the creation of truly integrated and balanced living patterns.