Many Americans Fuzzy on Fair Housing Laws
Most Americans support the concept behind the Fair Housing Act, the law that prohibits many types of housing discrimination, but many do not fully grasp which activities are legal and which are not, according to a report prepared by the Urban Institute and released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Thirty-eight percent of survey respondents were aware that it is illegal to refuse to rent to a family because they have children, 81% knew it was illegal to restrict the sale of a home to white buyers, 78% knew it was illegal to refuse to rent to a person based on religion, and 67% said that they support existing laws that prohibit homeowners from refusing to sell based on a buyer’s race, religion or nationality.
Fourteen percent of respondents believe that they have been subjected to housing discrimination.
HUD undertook the survey to establish a baseline for future studies.
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