New Fair Housing Trends Report Finds Pervasive Discrimination as Federal Government Rolls Back Civil Rights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

New Fair Housing Trends Report Finds Pervasive Discrimination as Federal Government Rolls Back Civil Rights

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 5, 2025) – Today, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) released its 2025 Fair Housing Trends Report revealing that 32,321 housing discrimination complaints were filed nationwide in 2024. The numbers signal one of the highest figures in more than two decades, amid a steep decline in the nation’s ability to enforce civil rights protections as federal funding cuts take hold during the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history.  

• Disability related discrimination accounted for the largest share of complaints at 54.6%, followed by race, national origin, sex, familial status, and religion.  
• Complaints based on national origin rose 8.45% from the previous year, marking the highest number since 2018.  
• Retaliation complaints more than doubled from the previous year to the highest recorded level.

And even as discrimination rises, the federal government is pulling back from enforcement. Recent mass firings at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) during the government shutdown have gutted the department’s ability to investigate violations. FHEO now has a third of the staff it had on January 20, 2025, when President Trump was sworn into office.

“This report sends a very clear message: America is in the midst of a fair and affordable housing crisis,” said Lisa Rice, President & CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance. “On top of the crisis, people are being denied housing opportunities because of immutable characteristics like race, gender, and disability status. And what makes this moment especially alarming is that our civil rights infrastructure itself is under attack across the country.” 

Deep funding cuts to fair housing programs have forced several community-based local fair housing agencies to close their doors—the very frontline groups that investigated nearly 75% of all housing discrimination complaints in 2024. These actions have left disabled veterans seeking to get off the streets; seniors requiring modifications to their homes; families with children seeking a home; survivors of domestic violence fleeing sexual and physical abuse; Black and Latino potential homebuyers seeking a mortgage; and more unprotected. 

NFHA is calling on Congress to hold an immediate oversight hearing and ensure HUD’s fair housing programs are fully funded.  

“America’s fair housing infrastructure is being dismantled and defunded in the very moment it’s needed most,” said Nikitra Bailey, NFHA Executive Vice President. “Congress must ensure HUD’s fair housing programs are fully funded and exercise its oversight authority over HUD to ensure decades of civil rights progress is not reversed through unlawful executive action. Access to fair housing is a basic human right—it’s the law.” 

The report also examines how artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic housing tools are creating new threats of digital redlining, steering, and bias in tenant screening and pricing. NFHA calls for mandatory AI fairness audits and federal transparency standards to ensure these technologies do not deepen existing inequities.  

“Even though we are facing daunting threats, even though we are facing an unprecedented level of attacks on fair housing—we are still advancing the law. We are still marching forward because justice must prevail,” said Rice.  

The full 2025 Fair Housing Trends Report including data analysis, policy recommendations, and member case studies is available now by clicking this link.  

For interviews and data specific to your state or region, please e-mail NFHA Senior Advisor for Communications, Marketing, and Education Julian Glover at JGlover@NationalFairHousing.org 

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The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) is the country’s only national civil rights organization dedicated solely to eliminating all forms of housing and lending discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all people. As the trade association for over 170 fair housing and justice-centered organizations and individuals throughout the U.S. and its territories, NFHA works to dismantle longstanding barriers to equity and build diverse, inclusive, well-resourced communities.