Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)

Citation
Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)
Jurisdiction
Arlington (municipal)
Source
Official source
Original Source
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/57214/637641171662530000 ↗

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Full Text

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Chapter I:
Introduction
The Arlington Fair Housing Action Plan addresses equitable access to housing choice in the Town of Arlington.
Since 1968, all communities that receive funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) have had an obligation to “affirmatively further fair housing.” The ultimate goal of fair housing efforts is
to eliminate housing discrimination and residential segregation. This plan aims to advance these twin objectives
through analysis of existing conditions and recommendations for concrete action the Town can undertake.

What is Fair Housing?
Fair housing laws seek to end residential discrimination and segregation based on characteristics that are often
(though not always) personal and immutable. These characteristics are called “protected classes” in fair housing
law. While the landmark fair housing legislation is the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, there is actually a
constellation of laws at the federal and state levels that protect against discrimination in housing, some of which
specify additional protected classes.
Federal fair housing laws specify the following protected classes, meaning it is illegal to discriminate based on
any of these characteristics:

• Race
• Color
• National origin
• Religion
• Sex
• Familial status (presence of children)
• Disability
Massachusetts laws add to that list the following characteristics:

• Age (40 and older)
• Marital status
• Genetic information
• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity
• Military service
• Arrest record

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