Our Programs

Policy & Advocacy

The National Fair Housing Alliance is dedicated to ending housing discrimination and fostering diverse, inclusive communities through advocacy. 

NFHA’s Policy and Advocacy team weighs in with the federal government to create and affect policy that expands equal access to fair housing choice for all. NFHA supports policy initiatives that advance our goals of eliminating discrimination in housing and expand equal access to homeownership opportunities.

NFHA also co-chairs, with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Fair Housing Task Force. The Fair Housing Task Force is a coalition of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights consisting of civil rights, housing and community development, and other advocacy organizations. The Fair Housing Task Force meets to address the most pressing contemporary issues related to the enforcement of the Fair Housing Act and to advocate for policies that promote equal access to housing opportunities.

Priorities for the Biden Administration and Congress

In December 2020, the National Fair Housing Alliance set forth a bold, equity-based policy agenda for the Biden Administration and the 117th Congress to coordinate and direct their most immediate efforts – on the first day, during the first 100 days, and during the first year – toward accomplishing four key goals.

1. Dismantling Residential Segregation, Offering Real Choice in Housing, and Creating Thriving Communities;
2. Eliminating the Dual Credit Market and Creating Access to Sustainable and Affordable Credit for All;
3. Strengthening the Nation’s Fair Housing and Fair Lending Enforcement Infrastructure; and
4. Creating Greater Fairness in the Housing and Financial Services Industries.

NFHA has accomplished 66 percent of its administrative priorities with the Biden Administration thus far, and 75 percent (15 out of 20) of NFHA supported nominees were confirmed to head agencies or serve in senior roles, including many from communities of color, with historic confirmations of Federal Reserve Governor Dr. Lisa D. Cook, and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Sandra Thompson.

Now, at the halfway point of the Biden Administration’s first term and the start of the 118th Congress, our nation faces the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and a fair and affordable housing crisis that is driving inflation to historic levels – both of which are most pronounced for people and communities of color – and we remain committed to the four goals we laid out in 2020. We are also calling on the Biden Administration and Congress to create a national, comprehensive strategy to finally deal with housing as a core driver of inflation.

Federal Budget and Appropriations

NFHA tracks the federal budget process and advocates for the highest possible appropriations for key fair housing and other housing programs run through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Expanding the Fair Housing Act

Today, it is legal for a housing provider in a majority of states across the country to deny housing to people because they are gay, lesbian, transgender, unmarried, or a recipient of housing subsidies. NFHA has been a strong advocate for the expansion of the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, and source of income.