April 27, 2022
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and community partners marked the 54th anniversary of the passage of the Federal Fair Housing Act on Wednesday and highlighted the need for accessible accommodations in housing and business.
“Salt Lake City is dedicated to inclusiveness in housing, transportation, business, entertainment, recreation, and amenities for all residents, and I value the opportunity to recommit ourselves to furthering inclusion, and making Salt Lake an even better place for everyone,” said Mayor Mendenhall.
Community partners joined the Mayor outside Valor House, a supportive housing facility operated by First Step House in partnership with the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the Housing Authority of Salt Lake City.
In addition to Fair Housing, this year the City is also recognizing the importance of protections for housing inclusiveness a part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.
To make the protections in the ADA come to fruition, “it takes individuals telling their stories, advocates helping them share their experiences with policymakers, and policymakers working with business owners and builders to realize their vision of an affordable, physically accessible, and inclusive community,” said Andrew Riggle, Public Policy Advocate for the Disability Law Center.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) enforces fair housing laws and annually provides Salt Lake City with an average of $5.5 million dollars in new funding to support programs and projects that address housing needs and support community development that uplift and change the lives of residents.
Residents who believe they have been discriminated against in housing should contact the Disability Law Center (http://disabilitylawcenter.org/) and the Utah Labor Commission’s Fair Housing Division (https://laborcommission.utah.gov/divisions/utah-antidiscrimination-and-labor-uald/)
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