California outlawed Section 8 housing discrimination. Why it still persists
A number of federal, state and local laws prohibit discrimination based on a variety of housing characteristics including the size of one’s living space, the number of bedrooms, the size of the family and the amount of family-sized rooms. These characteristics include the ability to pay for and maintain one’s home, among many others.
By contrast, the North Carolina Equal Housing Act, or HB 2, specifically prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, religion, disability and familial status. The North Carolina Equal Housing Act includes a provision that prohibits housing discrimination based on a variety of housing characteristics. This includes the size of one’s living space, bedrooms, family size and family-sized rooms, among several others.
The purpose of the North Carolina Equal Housing Act is to ensure that every North Carolinian has an equal opportunity in the use and ownership of housing.
This article, the first of a two-part analysis, provides an overview of the North Carolina Equal Housing Act and its impact on housing discrimination in North Carolina. Part Two – the analysis—will cover the specific housing characteristics that HB 2 prohibits from being considered in connection with housing discrimination claims.
We will look at the history of Section 8 housing discrimination in the United States, the North Carolina Equal Housing Act, and how HB 2 impacts the housing discrimination claims it outlaws.
The North Carolina Equal Housing Act
The North Carolina Equal Housing Act is the first of a number of federal, state and local laws and ordinances enacted in recent years to combat housing discrimination, to ensure that no individual or family is denied access to the opportunity to live in a safe, decent and affordable home.
These laws and laws, for example, prohibit discrimination in the housing, rental, sale and financing of housing based on age, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, marital status, domestic violence, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, sex stereotypes, pregnancy, family status or sex, ancestry or place of birth.
Additionally, each of the laws prohibit the denial of housing due to a person’s ability to pay or to housing discrimination based
