Commentary: In These Days of Increased Foreclosures, More Emphasis on Discrimination in Housing Needed

By: Judge Greg Mathis, Special to BlackAmericaWeb.com

According to most accounts, America is in the midst of a housing crisis. Homeowners are losing their property at record rates, and poor and low-income citizens are struggling to find affordable housing. Competition for rental housing has increased. So too has the number of alleged housing discrimination complaints. Unfortunately, federal action on those complaints has gone down.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development and related housing assistance agencies recorded more than 10,000 discrimination complaints in 2006: a 12 percent increase from 2005 and the highest since HUD started keeping track in 1990. Despite the increase, the number of follow ups on such complaints has reduced significantly. Only 31 discrimination charges were filed or marked for legal action by the agency in 2007 and just 36 in 2006. In 10 years, the number of charges filed by the agency has dropped more than 60 percent.

COMMENTARY....