Title
Special Recognition - Proclamation Recognizing Fair Housing Month
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Proclaim April 2026 as Fair Housing Month.
Report
Issue:
Whether to proclaim April 2026 as Fair Housing Month.
Staff Contact:
Christa Lenssen, Senior Housing Program Specialist, Community Planning & Economic Development, 360.570.3762
Presenter(s):
Christa Lenssen, Senior Housing Program Specialist, Community Planning & Economic Development
Adria Buchanan, Executive Director, Fair Housing Center of Washington
Steve Chung, President, Thurston County Realtors Association
Background and Analysis:
Congress passed the Fair Housing Act on April 11, 1968, just one week after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Act was meant to be a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited segregation in public places and employment discrimination. Civil rights organizers, including Dr. King, had advocated for open housing and an end to housing segregation and discrimination. The highly contentious bill had been proposed and failed to pass from 1966-1967.
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing and housing-related transactions based on protected classes. The Fair Housing Act has been amended over time and protects individuals from discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and family status.
In addition to barring housing discrimination, the Fair Housing Act requires HUD and its funding recipients, such as local jurisdictions, to also take affirmative steps to remedy fair housing issues such as racially segregated neighborhoods, lack of housing choice, and unequal access to housing-related opportunities. This is known as the mandate to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing.
On April 30, 1968, Olympia City Council passed its Unfair Housing Practices code (OMC 5.80) to prohibit housing discrimination and establish a...
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