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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Housing providers, real estate professionals, and the Town of Arlington must not discriminate on any of the above
bases, whether or not that discrimination is intentional. In fact, the Town must affirmatively work to end any
discrimination and promote integration across the above characteristics.

Fair Housing Legal Framework
Fair housing laws make it illegal for people and businesses providing housing to discriminate based on protected
classes. Because of fair housing laws, a landlord cannot exclusively rent their property to Christians, real estate
brokers cannot steer Black clients away from predominantly White neighborhoods, and property managers must
make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. All these practices and more would be illegal
under both federal and Massachusetts laws. Fair housing law emerged in response to ongoing discrimination in
housing against historically marginalized and oppressed groups, but the laws are written to prevent all such
discrimination. The Town of Arlington does not have explicit Fair Housing laws or laws that otherwise reference
housing and protected classes, but housing providers are still subject to federal and state laws. Though these
laws are important to understand, the fact that the laws are in place does not mean discrimination no longer
exists.