Community

Fair Housing

Where you live continues to have a significant impact on your life outcomes in the metropolitan Washington region. COG supports local governments in their duty to affirmatively further fair housing and prevent discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing so that all residents can choose to live in communities with access to quality schools, jobs, transportation, and housing that is affordable for a range of incomes. 

COG collaborated closely with eight local jurisdictions to help them meet fair housing requirements through development of the Regional Fair Housing Plan (also known as the Regional Housing Equity Plan), marking the first time in 25 years that local  jurisdictions have joined together to create a joint plan for metropolitan Washington. 

Sections on this page:

Regional Fair Housing Plan Documents 
Background 
Local Fair Housing Websites

REGIONAL FAIR HOUSING PLAN DOCUMENTS

The Regional Fair Housing Plan includes:

Access all sections of the plan, including the executive summary translated into seven different languages, here. 

For questions about the plan, email fairhousing@mwcog.org.

BACKGROUND

The major components of the Regional Fair Housing Plan include:

  • A robust community participation and comment process that allows for meaningful dialogue for key stakeholders; 
  • Assessment of past goals and actions;  
  • Analysis of data and issues that impact fair housing: and 
  • Establishment of measurable fair housing goals and priorities. 

The Regional Fair Housing Project Team was responsible for creating the Regional Fair Housing Plan. A Community Advisory Committee comprised of organizations representing people impacted by fair housing choice worked alongside the Project Team and helped ensure that the final plan included critical insights for addressing barriers and developing solutions to achieve fair housing choice.

The Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 and prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. The law was designed with two aims: one, to prevent discrimination; and two, to take active steps to undo historic patterns of segregation. 

LOCAL FAIR HOUSING WEBSITES

City of Alexandria
Arlington County
District of Columbia
Fairfax County
City of Gaithersburg
Loudoun County
Montgomery County
Prince William County

News & Multimedia

  • Apartments in DC
    News

    Five things to know about the regional housing equity plan

    June 9, 2021

    For the first time in over 20 years, the region is coming together to collaborate on fair housing, and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG)...

  • Fair_Housing_Event
    News

    Connecting the Region for Housing Choice and Opportunity

    April 14, 2016

    Jurisdictions large and small will be required by HUD to conduct an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) to support their planning efforts to accommodate future...

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