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HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Regulation: What it Means for Marin

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Guest Speakers:

Caroline Peattie, Executive Director, Fair Housing of Marin

Doug Kelly, Councilmember, Town of San Anselmo

Wednesday October 7, 2015

Luncheon and Speaker Program

(Please scroll down for RSVP Instructions)

In July, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) adopted a rule intended to limit distribution of housing funds to programs that are fair and promote equal opportunity. Growing out of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, the new rule is called Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH). In October 2011, the Marin BOS approved an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing, including an Implementation Plan.

Some claim the housing analysis demonstrates that lack of affordable housing is discrimination against minority groups. Others see AFFH as government intrusion that challenges the economics of individual property rights and forcing white suburbs to change their racial makeup. Westchester County, New York, has been mired for years in a legal battle with HUD. A lawsuit claims the county misled the government by accepting HUD funding without affirmatively furthering fair housing. In a settlement agreement, Westchester County will build 750 affordable units, primarily in communities with few minorities. The settlement required the county to adopt a law banning landlords from discriminating against subsidized tenants. As some of those requirements went unmet, HUD started withholding money from Westchester. The county has since decided not to pursue any more block-grant funds, an option critics of the new rule suggest many communities will choose. Speakers will address the question of what the AFFH rule means for Marin.

Caroline Peattie - Fair Housing of Marin’s Executive Director, has 28 years’ fair housing experience. She began her work in 1987 at ECHO Fair Housing in Hayward, and eventually became the Executive Director of Sentinel Fair Housing in Oakland. She planned, researched, and co-authored Marin County’s 2010 Analysis of Impediments . She has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences on fair housing and Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing. Ms. Peattie has presented many training sessions, including a California Department of Real Estate-accredited training program for public and private housing providers. Though Fair Housing of Marin is based in Marin, she has also worked on fair housing issues in Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, and Sonoma counties, and she currently serves on the board of the National Fair Housing Alliance.

Doug Kelly - San Anselmo Town Councilmember and business owner, was born and raised in Larchmont, New York, part of Westchester County which is the county involved in the lawsuit with HUD regarding the AFFH ruling. He attended University of San Francisco and moved to Marin County in 1993 and to San Anselmo in 1995. Doug served on the San Anselmo Parks and Recreation Commission for eight years and in 2013 he was elected to the San Anselmo Town Council to a seat vacated by a resignation and currently serves as Vice Mayor. He also serves on the California League of Cities Public Safety Policy Commission, among other Boards and Commissions.. Doug is co-owner of Performance POS, a San Rafael technology company that serves the restaurant and retail industries.

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Organization: Marin Coalition

Website: http://www.marincoalition.org/

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