Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity

The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) is an agency within the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. FHEO is responsible for administering and enforcing federal fair housing laws and establishing policies that make sure all Americans have equal access to the housing of their choice.

The mission of FHEO is to create equal housing opportunities for all persons living in America by administering laws that prohibit discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and familial status.

The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity was created by the Fair Housing Act of 1968 which sought to end discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, color, religion, and national origin. The passage of the Act was contentious. The Fair Housing Act was meant to be a direct follow up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, however from 1966 to 1967 Congress failed to garner enough political support for its passage. At that time several states had passed their own fair housing laws and Congress was not convinced that a federal law was necessary. It was only after the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968, and the ensuing riots that Congress finally passed the bill. It was signed into law on April 11, 1968, by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson, who was one of the Act’s strongest supporters, called the new law one of the "promises of a century... it proclaims that fair housing for all—all human beings who live in this country—is now a part of the American way of life."

Since 1968, the Fair Housing Act has been amended twice. In 1974 sex was added as a protected basis. In 1988 the Act was amended again to expand the number of protected bases and correct some of the enforcement inadequacies of the original Act. Congress changed the Fair Housing Act to include protection for persons with disabilities and prohibit discrimination based on familial status. The amendment strengthened the enforcement provisions by allowing the aggrieved parties to seek remedy for their cases before a HUD Administrative Law Judge or in federal court. In addition, the amendment granted the Department of Justice the power to impose more severe punishments on those who violated the Act.

The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity is responsible for enforcing a variety of fair housing laws, which prohibit discrimination in both privately owned and publicly assisted housing including:

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