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Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, LCCR has partnered with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and the National Fair Housing Alliance to create a national, bipartian fair housing commission to investigate the alarming state of U.S. housing in the wake of the subprime housing debacle.

On December 9, 2008, the commission released its findings and recommendations in this comprehensive report.

Table of Contents

About the National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity

Acknowledgements

Executive Summary

• Summary of Recommendations

Introduction: The Goal of Inclusive, Diverse, Communities

I. Forty Years After the Passage of the Fair Housing Act, Housing Discrimination and Segregation Continue

• How We Got Here: The Historical Roots of Housing Segregation
• Despite the Promise of the Fair Housing Act, the Rate of Housing Discrimination Remains High

II. Fair Housing Enforcement at HUD is Failing

• Create a New, Independent Fair Housing Enforcement Agency

III. Fair Housing Enforcement at the Justice Department is Weak

• Strengthen DOJ’s Role in Fair Housing and Fair Lending Enforcement

IV. The Need for a Strong Fair Housing Initiatives Program and a Coordinated Fair Housing Assistance Program

• Increase Funding for the FHIP program
• Reform FHIP Management
• Improve Coordination and Oversight of the Fair Housing Assistance Program

V. Fair Housing and the Foreclosure Crisis

• Incorporate Fair Housing Principles into Foreclosure Relief Implementation

VI. Federal Housing Programs: The Mandate to "Affirmatively Further Fair Housing"

• Ensure Compliance with the "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing" Obligation in Federal Housing Programs

VII. Fair Housing Obligations of Federal Grantees

• Strengthen Fair Housing Compliance by Federal Grantees

VIII. Regionalism and Fair Housing Enforcement

• Adopt a Regional Approach to Fair Housing

IX. The President's Fair Housing Council

• Revive the President’s Fair Housing Council

X. Fair Housing Education: A Missing Piece

• Strengthen Fair Housing Education

XI. The Necessity of Fair Housing Research

• Enhance Fair Housing Research at HUD

XII. Conclusion

Appendices

Appendix A: Emerging Fair Housing Legislative and Regulatory Issues

Appendix B: International Disapproval of U.S. Fair Housing Policy

Appendix C: Commissioner Correspondence on Foreclosure Relief Implementation

• Letter to Congressional Leaders
• Letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson

Appendix D: Commission Witnesses and Staff

Additional Resources

• Printable version of this report (pdf) - 99 pages, 920KB
• Witness testimony and exhibits from the Commission’s five hearings