NFHA Applauds Strong Bipartisan Congressional Support for Critical Fair Housing Programs in the Final FY26 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Bill 

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NFHA Applauds Strong Bipartisan Congressional Support for Critical Fair Housing Programs in the Final FY26 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Bill 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Fair Housing Alliance® (NFHA™) applauds the passage of the final FY26 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill. This bill includes critical funding for community-based fair housing organizations on the frontlines assisting disabled veterans, seniors, families with children, survivors of sexual and physical violence, people of color, immigrants, and more. This funding bill will also fuel the work of agencies administering state and local fair housing laws that mirror protections granted in the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and support the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO).  

The final FY26 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill received continued bipartisan support in Congress, maintaining crucial fair housing funding during the nation’s ongoing fair and affordable housing crisis. This much-needed funding highlights the importance of our organizations funded through the Fair Housing Initiative Program (FHIP), that processed over 74-percent of all housing discrimination complaints filed in 2024. These community-based organizations assisted people who experienced housing discrimination with being made whole.  

The final package includes: 

• $56 million for FHIP;
• $26 million for the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP), a grant program developed to foster cooperation between HUD and state and local agencies that enforce state and local fair housing laws that are substantially equivalent to the Fair Housing Act; 
• $86 million for the Office of Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity (FHEO). 

“Congress’ strong bipartisan vote to preserve critical fair housing funding will ensure that our nation’s fair housing programs will continue to receive much-needed funding,” said NFHA’s Executive Vice President Nikitra Bailey. “Local fair housing organizations serve as a lifeline for their communities, helping people fight sexual harassment, appraisal bias, lending redlining, racial steering, excessively restrictive zoning ordinances, unfair evictions, and other forms of discrimination. They also educate the public about fair housing laws, help local communities expand fair and affordable housing opportunities, and promote efforts that increase economic opportunities in underserved areas. Their work is an essential part of the solution to address the nation’s fair and affordable housing crisis.” 

NFHA is grateful to Congress for including language requiring HUD to issue notices of funding opportunities for the FY26 funding no less than 150 days after the bill is enacted. “HUD must feel Congress’ pressure to ensure funding already appropriated for fair housing enforcement is spent,” Bailey added.  

Created during the Reagan Administration and consistently funded with strong bipartisan support in Congress, HUD’s FHIP funding has helped thousands of people and families to access housing free from discrimination, extended fair housing opportunities to millions of people, and prepares local housing providers to better understand their responsibilities under the law. It is a competitive grant program that, through nonprofit fair housing organizations, provides localized assistance to people who face housing and lending discrimination. FHIP funding is the only federal resource for local, nonprofit, private enforcement, and fair housing services. 

For interviews, 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.