Regional Fair Housing Plan for the National Capital Area

Ochoa Urban Collaborative is part of a team with the Lawyer’s Committee on Civil Rights Under Law and the Urban Institute to prepare a regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice for eight local jurisdictions through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government (COG).  COG, the area’s regional planning agency, formed a cooperative agreement with the District of Columbia, Montgomery County and the City of Gaithersburg in Maryland, and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William County in Virginia to jointly undertake a regional fair housing plan for the region.  The Fair Housing Act ensures that individuals are not discriminated in the rental or purchase of a home due to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, family status, and disability.  However, the Fair Housing Act goes went step further to ensure that all federal agencies affirmatively further fair housing.  Fair housing plans are required by HUD as a requirement of the Fair Housing Act so that local jurisdictions can prioritize HUD funding that addresses the ill effects of previous federal policy on communities of color and potential goals and actions that increase housing choice for communities.

The team began work in the Spring of 2021.  The team has strong experience preparing fair housing plans.  The Lawyer’s Committee on Civil Rights has undertaken dozens of AI’s or fair housing plans across the country including Kansas City, Los Angeles County, and Orange County.  And the Urban Institute is a leading nonprofit research organization that provides data and evidence to help advance upward mobility and equity. Urban Institute is leading the effort to collect, interpret, and map the data, Ochoa Urban Collaborative is leading a robust regional and local community engagement effort across eight jurisdictions, while the Lawyer’s Committee, the team lead, is drafting the report including regional and local goals and actions. 

Progress to Date: 

Currently, the team is preparing the draft report for local government comment in the Spring of 2022 followed by public comment in the Summer of 2022.  Pending approval by all eight jurisdictions, the project is expected to be completed in the Fall of 2022. 

For more information about the project visit COG’s website.

mochoa@ochoaurbancollaborative.com | 202-413-6910