City staff, in partnership with the newly-established Salisbury Fair Housing Committee and the Centralina Council of Governments (CCOG), will work together over the upcoming months to conduct a fair housing study as part of the city’s Analysis of Impediments (AI) update project, in compliance with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The Fair Housing Act, and Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, “declares that it is the policy of the United States to provide, within constitutional limitations, for fair housing throughout the United States.” The Act prohibits, among other things, discrimination in the sale, rental, and finance of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions because of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, or disability.
As a first step in developing the AI project due in May, initial members of the Fair Housing Committee will host a media and public debut of the Impediments to Fair and Affordable Housing survey prior to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. On Saturday, Jan. 19, at the Post-MLK Parade Celebration to be held at the Salisbury Civic Center community members will have an opportunity to complete the survey and learn more about Fair Housing.
The survey asks questions of all residents surrounding current housing types, assistance programs, housing discrimination, predatory lending and senior housing. The survey soon will be available both online at www.salisburync.gov/FairHousing, and in hard copy form, which will be distributed in key locations and at events throughout Salisbury. The soft deadline to complete the survey is Thursday, Feb. 28. Completed hard copies can be mailed or dropped off at 132 N. Main St., Salisbury, N.C. 28144.
Salisbury City Council passed a Resolution of Intent in early December 2018, establishing a Fair Housing Committee to be made up of four members of the Human Relations Council (HRC), four members of the Housing Advocacy Commission (HAC), the Salisbury Community Development Corporation (CDC) Program Director or designee, and seven at-large members with demonstrated interest or experience related to fair housing to be appointed by City Council. The nine members from the HRC, HAC and CDC combined have already been named. Applications are now being accepted for the seven at-large members.
The Committee’s main objective is to study current city programs and policies that address fair housing, and formulate recommendations to strengthen fair housing awareness and compliance.
Per the Resolution of Intent, the Committee should represent the community and maintain a fair and balanced diversity of perspectives. All members must reside or be employed within the jurisdiction of the City of Salisbury. Applications for consideration to the Fair Housing Committee can be found at www.salisburync.gov/boards.