Module Summary Housing counselors have a responsibility to understand the Fair Housing Act, to be able to recognize signs and evidence of potential housing discrimination, and to promote client awareness about fair housing requirements. It is necessary for housing counselors to be able to give clients information on how to file a fair housing complaint through HUD or through state and local programs that handle such complaints. To work with clients seeking FHA subsidized housing or unsubsidized housing, housing counselors need to understand what “affirmatively furthering fair housing” means and participate in housing counseling agency efforts to affirmatively further fair housing.

Learning Objectives By the end of this module, counselor will be able to:

• Identify state and local resources for fair housing enforcement available to clients confronted with a fair housing violation.
• Demonstrate how to report a violation of fair housing laws or requirements to empower a client to file a complaint.
• Comprehend common barriers to fair housing to identify signs or evidence of housing discrimination and develop a marketing plan to address impediments.
• Employ methods to promote a client's awareness of fair housing and apply knowledge of the current and proposed rules for the commitment of housing counseling agencies to affirmatively further fair housing.