Sad Reality
Housing discrimination complaints set a record in 2006.
Last year saw the highest number of housing discrimination complaints ever filed in the U.S. in a single year. According to HUD's annual fair housing report, the federal agency and state and local government agencies received 10,328 such complaints in 2006. Race and disability, the report says, made up the lion's share of the cases.
“As diverse as this country is, we still see instances where individuals are denied housing because of the color of their skin or because they have physical disabilities that require certain accommodations,” said Kim Kendrick, HUD assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity, in a press release announcing the report.
Of the complaints filed, 40 percent alleged racial discrimination and almost the same percentage alleged discrimination against persons with disabilities. The report says that most of the complaints cited discrimination in the terms and conditions of the sale or rental of housing, or a refusal to rent.
Even though the Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, HUD is engaged in ongoing enforcement activities regarding these types of complaints. In particular, the agency is working to increase the stock of accessible housing for people with disabilities. Part of that effort includes training architects, builders, and developers in the accessible-design and -construction requirements of the Fair Housing Act. -- Nigel F. Maynard
To read a copy of the fair housing report, visit www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/fy2006rpt.pdf.
From Bad to Worse
Builders in Northern Virginia are facing a down market and difficult local politics.
Business is bad enough, so it's understandable that builders in Virginia's Prince William County and nearby Loudoun County were upset when the board of supervisors in both counties passed resolutions saying they would take 12 months before approving any new residential project.
While not technically a moratorium, that's essentially the net effect, between the county governments' resolutions and the ongoing business downturn.
Mark Granville-Smith, CEO of Classic Concept Builders in Manassas, Va., says he'll be lucky to build 15 homes this year, down from 50 homes per year during the boom. Granville-Smith is also concerned about the increased costs builders are being asked to pay for local infrastructure.
“What we're seeing is that the governmental cost of a new home is greater than 10 percent of the sales price,” says Granville-Smith, who explains that the average new home sells for $500,000 in Prince William County.
“There's only so much [that] a decline in land prices would offset such high governmental fees, which means the home buyer ultimately pays—and that makes homes less affordable,” he says.
Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, says the residential market was overheated and the county needs time to absorb the 3,000 to 5,000 new households that have moved to Prince William annually for the past seven years. -- Steve Zurier
SOURCES: U.S. BUREAU OF CENSUS; PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY (VA.) OCCUPANCY PERMIT DATABASE