No Equal Housing Opportunities

How would you feel if a landlord denied you an apartment just because you were different from them? This was a reality for many Americans until the passage of the Fair Housing Act (part of the Civil Rights Act) in 1968. Before this, minorities were often prevented from purchasing housing in certain areas, effectively creating segregated communities. Unfortunately, this first Housing Act didn’t work very well, and Congress made amendments in 1988, allowing the Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development a large role in enforcing the law.