Realtors® Praise Efforts of Fair Housing Advocates for Ensuring Equality in Homeownership

WASHINGTON, December 09, 2008

The National Association of Realtors^® commended the collaborative efforts of hundreds of fair housing advocates who participated in the National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

Earlier this year, the commission conducted daylong hearings in Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta and Houston and collected information and heard testimony about the nature and extent of illegal housing discrimination. The commission also gathered data on the origin of housing discrimination, its connection with government policy and practice, and its effect on foreclosures and segregation in the community.

The commission was sponsored by The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the National Fair Housing Alliance. Former HUD Secretaries Jack Kemp and Henry Cisneros chaired the commission. 2007 NAR President Pat V. Combs acted as a commissioner; a contribution by NAR helped support the commission’s activities.

“I am proud to have served as a commissioner on the National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, representing America’s largest professional association with 1.2 million Realtor® members,” said 2007 NAR President Pat V. Combs. “I’m most grateful for the support and collaboration of the hundreds of private and public housing advocates and officials who participated in the hearings. While progress has been made in meeting the goals of the Fair Housing Act, more work needs to be done to increase awareness of fair housing laws, improve access to affordable housing, and promote inclusion and diversity in our communities − and that can only be done through effective cooperation and building upon the progress of the Commission. ”

At an event in Washington, D.C., today the commission released a final report, The Future of Fair Housing. The report is the result of the multicity hearings and addresses the nation’s progress in meeting the Fair Housing Act’s goals of ending housing discrimination and replacing patterns of racial segregation with healthy integrated communities.

“The broad theme of the commission’s report is that a comprehensive approach is necessary to help end discrimination and ensure equal housing opportunity. This includes more collaboration between those enforcing fair housing laws, real estate practitioners, and educators − as well as offering additional training and education to practitioners and the public about fair housing law,” said Combs.

NAR works closely with the federal government and other allies to build homeownership programs and offers its expanded fair housing education programs like At Home with Diversity for members, seeks out diverse membership and association leadership, and works to expand relationships with its real estate diversity partners.

“Our Realtor^® members remain committed to America’s policy of fair housing and NAR pledges to continue its work toward increasing education offered to real estate professionals as well as raising public awareness about fair housing laws and the issues surrounding discrimination,” said Combs.

Realtors^® are bound by state and federal fair housing laws, as well as the Realtor^® Code of Ethics, which mandates that Realtors^® ensure that their clients and members of the public receive equal professional services at all times.

Many local and state Realtor^® associations have also implemented community programs to better educate their members on fair housing and the importance of inclusive housing practices. The Michigan Association of Realtors^® has successfully partnered with fair housing centers in Michigan to implement a voluntary and confidential self-testing program among real estate offices. The program has seen positive results and helped open the doors to additional fair housing training and development tools and made it easier for practitioners to better identify discriminatory practices.

“Fair housing is a complex issue and only through collaboration on education, reform, enforcement and creative solutions such as self-testing, can we achieve our shared goal of strong and inclusive communities,” said Combs.

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