PRRAC Update (January 31, 2019): Mapping preemption; expanding SOI protections

Appendix B:  PRRAC’s ongoing compilation of “source of income discrimination laws,” now encompassing over 60 state and local laws prohibiting housing discrimination against families who rely on Housing Choice Vouchers and other types of alternative income, has been updated to include a number of new local ordinances passed in 2018.  See the new Appendix B here, and please let us know if we left out your new local ordinance – it is becoming hard to keep up! 

Preemption mapped: The recently established “Local Solutions Support Center” has created an interactive map identifying states that have preempted progressive local policies.  As it turns out, 33 states have preempted either rent control, source of income discrimination protections, inclusionary zoning rules or restrictions on short term rentals. The new map was created with support from PRRAC, the Grounded Solutions Network, the Partnership for Working Families, the National Fair Housing Alliance, and the Urban Law Center.  

Other Resources Gentrification and fair housing:  In the new issue of Housing Policy Debate, Ingrid Gould Ellen Gerard Torrats-Espinosa find evidence that gentrification often leads to stable neighborhood integration over time, a goal of the Fair Housing Act.  But not all neighborhoods are able to maintain stable racial integration, and in these neighborhoods, governments and CDCs need to intervene to provide a critical mass of affordable housing to ensure long term stability and protection for existing residents.  Read the article here. 

Public health and racial justice: The National Collaborative for Health Equity (NCHE) released its report Building Public Health Capacity to Advance Equity, which is based on extensive interviews, focus groups, and literature reviews, and explores the capacity of local health agencies to advance equity (with a focus on racial justice and community engagement).