Planning for Open Communities

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Understand the value-add of regional collaboration across governments and nonprofits for the purpose of encouraging housing integration.
• Identity new strategies for affirmatively furthering fair housing and its determining its feasibility for local implementation.
• Plan for compliance under the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule in their local entitlement jurisdictions by understanding strategies to remedy issues identified in the AFFH.

MORE SESSION DETAILS

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) has been federal policy since the Civil Rights Act of 1968. HUD finalized its AFFH rule in 2015, providing guidance that requires governments to analyze patterns of segregation and disparities in housing access and place-based opportunity, and craft measurable solutions to remedy identified issues. While there seems to be a healthy national discourse around the analysis component of AFFH, there has been less discussion about strategies that encourage integration and increase access to opportunity. Meanwhile, a consensus has evolved that integrated, inclusive, equitable regions are more resilient and economically prosperous. Several actors in the Chicago region will provide an overview on their coordinated, proactive approach to improve housing choice and equitable access to opportunity. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) partnered with Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance (CAFHA) to conduct a regional Fair Housing and Equity Assessment. CAFHA is also working with Cook County to create a model that encourages fair housing best practices and a shared understanding of fair housing requirements across municipalities. The Oak Park Regional Housing Center has long served as an affirmative marketing agency that supports implementation of affirmative municipal policy.