Unfolding Fair Housing: Equal Access For LGBTQ+

LGBTQ+ adolescents account for up to 40% of the homeless youth population, which is estimated to be somewhere between 400,000 and 2.8 million per year [1]. Part of the HUD's movement is to provide affordable housing with equal opportunity to become a tenant. However, not many citizens are aware of the rules and regulations, which can deter them from applying. As a property manager, it's important to gain knowledge in all HUD programs to provide safe and secure housing.  In this blog post, we will look into the measures taken to overcome this predicament, which further makes it indispensable to look for affordable housing webinars.

 

What is the  2012 Equal Access Rule?  

HUD began adopting administrative actions to ensure individuals in the LGBTQ+ community have equitable access to HUD-assisted housing, beginning with the Obama administration. On February 3, 2012, the Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a final rule called "Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity," which refrains asking people about their sexual orientation or gender identity when determining eligibility or making housing available. Individuals, on the other hand, can choose to self-identify their sexual orientation or gender identity.

 

The "Equal Access Rule" enabled questions concerning an applicant's or occupant's sex to be asked for the restricted purpose of deciding placement in temporary, emergency shelters with shared bedrooms or bathrooms, or establishing the number of bedrooms a household may be entitled to. Without regard to actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status, the rule defines "family" to include single people or groups of people who live together, including the elderly, disabled, and those with or without children.

 

Tracing the Changes in Equal Access Rule 

On September 21, 2016, HUD issued a final rule titled "Equal Access in Community Planning and Development Programs based on an Individual's Gender Identity," which required housing, facilities, and services funded through the CPD program to establish, amend, or maintain program admissions, occupancy, and operating policies and procedures to ensure equal access to program, benefits, and services.

 

HUD Actions to Combat Gender-Based Identity and Sexual Orientation Discrimination

The HUD stated on February 11, 2021 that it will administer and enforce a fair housing rule prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The affordable housing management training began enforcing the policy outlined in Executive Order 138988 on "Preventing and Combating Discrimination based on Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation," according to a memo dated February 4, 2021.

 

The Federal Fair Housing Act forbids discrimination in housing based on gender identification. Nearly all housing and housing-related services, including shelter programs, are covered by the Fair Housing Act. A housing or shelter provider is prohibited from denying entry, imposing alternative terms or conditions, or harassing a person because they are transgender or because of their actual or perceived gender identity under the Act. Providers must record explicit standards in personnel handbooks and other policy documents, as well as publicly publish rules where residents, volunteers, visitors, and staff can see them, to create an -inclusive environments.