Comment to HUD to Rescind Rule Modifying the Disparate Impact Standard for Housing Discrimination

On October 18, 2019, NAPAWF submitted a comment to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) urging reconsideration of a rule altering the disparate impact standard for housing discrimination. The proposed rule would add additional components required to show disparate impact in housing discrimination, making it even more difficult for marginalized groups to mount successful housing discrimination claims.

In our comment, we highlighted the proposed rule’s harm to gender-based violence survivors, who would face greater barriers to obtaining relief under the proposed rule. This is particularly important for AAPI women, as 18 percent of AAPI women report experiencing rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetimes. Our comment also advocated against the unjust tenant-screening policies that would be possible under this rule, which would disproportionately impact women of color and other marginalized communities.