Fair Housing Month April 2022
The following was publicized by Salt Lake City for the Fair Housing Month 2022.
Every April Salt Lake City reaffirms our devotion to the Fair Housing Act. 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. This included a 2022 Fair Housing Proclamation, which you can read here.
Mayor Mendenhall commemorated Fair Housing Month at Valor House, which serves low income veterans with disabilities, with community partners 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. You can view a recording of the event below.
You can also view a recording of our Fair Housing Webinar – Ask Me Anything below, featuring experts Vard McGuire from the Disability Law Center, Sam Ball from Assist, Chris Vogel from HUD, and Karen Cluff from First Step House. The webinar was hosted by Salt Lake City ADA coordinator Ashley Lichtle.
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.