Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell is firmly standing against the Trump administration's initiative to cut grants for fair housing organizations and dial back on HUD’s fair housing responsibilities. "The Trump Administration’s efforts to undermine the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s fair housing initiatives and cancel grant funding would allow housing segregation and discrimination to go unchecked, causing significant harm to our residents and communities," AG Campbell was quoted as saying in a press release, asserting her commitment to combat this federal rollback.
On the legal front, AG Campbell played a leading role with 20 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief on April 29. They're backing fair housing groups in their effort to overturn a decision that removed a restraining order which previously blocked HUD's grant revocation. The reasoning behind the attorneys' plea for the temporary restraining order's reinstatement revolves around the beleif that HUD's sudden cancellation of funding could derail the crucial work fair housing organizations perform to detect and respond to housing discrimination, thus negatively impacting their states.
A particularly telling example of this advocacy's value is drawn from Massachusetts, where following an investigation on rental practices in the South Shore, a fair housing organization provided the AG's office with substantial evidence. This evidence showed that numerous brokerages were systematically rejecting applications from families with children and those with housing assistance, like Section 8. Campbell's office used this evidence to pursue claims that resulted in successful settlements, demanding payment to victims, fair-housing training for defendants, and new compliance measures.
Moreover, AG Campbell joined forces with 18 attorneys general on May 2 to send HUD a letter contesting its interim final rule. According to the attorneys general, it violates fair housing laws by not requiring grantees to adequately analyze whether their actions contribute to reducing segregation. The rule seems to dismiss the necessity for fair housing planning before grantees can receive federal funds—a stark departure from the HUD's mandate to affirmatively further fair housing.
These recent actions are further demonstrations of AG Campbell's wider efforts to secure fair, affordable housing across Massachusetts. Just last week, Campbell's office released a 'Know Your Rights' guide tailored for homebuyers and homeowners to help them identify and report appraisal discrimination. In addition, the Civil Rights Division of the AG's office continues to hold housing providers accountable, having settled five fair housing cases in the past two months alone, with over $75,000 recouped for residents encountering discrimination. Massachusetts citizens facing possible rights violations are encouraged to file a complaint through the Attorney General’s Office online, or by calling (617) 963-2917.
