Nikitra Bailey’s Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance

Chair Flood, Ranking Member Cleaver, and other distinguished members of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, thank you for the opportunity to testify during the subcommittee’s hearing entitled, Building Our Future: Increasing Housing Supply in
America.

I am Nikitra Bailey, Executive Vice President of the National Fair Housing Alliance® (NFHA™). NFHA leads the fair housing movement and works to eliminate housing discrimination and ensure equitable housing opportunities for all people and communities through its education and outreach, member services, public policy, advocacy, housing and community development, tech equity, enforcement, and consulting and compliance programs.

NFHA represents over 200 local non-profit fair housing enforcement agencies throughout the U.S. Our nation is in the throes of a fair and affordable housing crisis impacting millions and the
actions of President Trump issuing executive orders attempting to ban diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; punitively and haphazardly throwing together a federal funding freeze; and canceling almost half of the funding grants for local non-profit fair housing agencies
throughout the U.S. have caused chaos, fear, insecurity, and dysfunction around the country.

Instead of providing everyday people of our nation with practical solutions while they are struggling with skyrocketing housing costs, a lack of affordable housing supply, increased complaints of housing discrimination, and technology’s growing role in determining housing
decisions with solutions, steps on the ladders of opportunity are being removed for frontline workers-police officers, certified nursing assistants, teachers, firefighters, hospitality workers, and construction workers who risked their lives to keep the economy afloat during the COVID-19
crisis.

These haphazard executive actions will cause serious economic and personal injuries that will undermine our already fragile housing market and our nation.

Housing is fundamental to the American Dream and people want elected leaders to quickly implement solutions to ensure they can fairly access opportunity and share in the nation’s prosperity. Housing was a top concern for voters during the November election. People are
seeking solutions that will drive down the rising costs of housing and provide fair market rents, expand fair access to mortgage credit in underserved communities, reduce homeowners’ insurance costs, and produce the development of over five million affordable housing units.

Voters supported initiatives nationally that would provide them the fair and affordable housing opportunities they deserve and that are essential to achieving the American Dream.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are synonymous with hard work, fairness, merit, and standards of excellence. They are a cornerstone of our nation’s Constitution and civil rights laws and help to ensure compliance with our nation’s robust anti-discrimination laws.

Despite recent efforts to spread misinformation and intentionally ignore the progress of civil rights in this country, here are the facts:

• Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives are designed to create opportunities where none previously existed.
• Accessibility ensures people can actually take advantage of the vital opportunities needed to thrive.
• Our country’s fair housing laws, as well as our framework for civil and equal rights, are grounded in providing rights to people that have always made up this nation and contributed significantly to building and defending the nation.
• Inclusion guarantees everyone has the right to the promises and protections of our laws and that no one is omitted because of their protected class status.

In fact, many of these concepts are codified in our civil rights laws and regulations as well as the Constitution.

Congress established fair housing as a national policy of the U.S. with the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The landmark legislation provides two promises:

• The right for all people to access housing free of discrimination; and
• The creation of inclusive and vibrant communities with life affirming amenities everyone needs to thrive.

The President cannot upend our country’s national policy, the Constitution or civil rights laws via executive orders.

Congress must act quickly to make equitable housing investments that promote financial inclusion and stimulate economic growth for everyone as housing continues to drive inflation. The Federal Reserve Board lacks the power to lower housing inflation. A housing market in which all people cannot participate fairly, without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, familial status, or disability, is a broken market both economically and morally.

The Housing Crisis Response Act sponsored by Ranking Member Waters provides a sensible path forward. It includes $150 billion in relief for the nation’s fair and affordable housing crisis to ensure people living in urban, rural, and suburban communities’ housing needs are met. Increased support and intervention from our federal government is needed, not a withdrawal from basic civil rights.

We welcome the Subcommittee’s commitment to promoting fair and affordable housing for all.