The 1968 Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination on the sale, rental or financing of housing based on race, religion or national origin. Laws prohibiting discrimination based on gender, those with disabilities and families with children were later passed. The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity is charged with enforcing fair housing laws. Despite legal measures to protect all Americans from housing discrimination, the most commonly targeted victims are still African Americans. Redlining is still prevalent in many areas even though it has been outlawed. Studies have found that minorities who apply for mortgages are three times more likely to be rejected than similarly-qualified Caucasians. There were 28,843 complaints of housing discrimination in 2017. The three most common types of complaints were based on disability (57%), race (19%), and family status (9%). Advocates claim the biggest obstacle to fair housing rights is the federal government's failure to vigorously enforce the law.

Pending legislation: H.R.68 - Housing Fairness Act of 2021
Sponsor: Rep. Al Green (TX)
Status: House Committee on Financial Services
Chair: Rep. Maxine Waters (CA)